Finally, the balloon goes up

Nasa's giant helium balloon was launched from Wanaka Airport yesterday, without incident. Photo...
Nasa's giant helium balloon was launched from Wanaka Airport yesterday, without incident. Photo by Stephen Jaquiery.

Budgets permitting, the Nasa balloon team will be back in Wanaka next year.

Yesterday's successful launch of a super-pressure helium test balloon from Wanaka Airport appears to have confirmed it as a suitable site from which to launch future balloons carrying scientific equipment.

Operations manager Dwayne Orr told the Otago Daily Times there had already been discussions around another launch next year.

Nasa's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility programme office chief Debora Fairbrother could not think of any reason why they would not be back, ''provided funding continues''.

''There's always the government - you never know,'' she said, laughing.

Tourist operators at the airport spoken to by the ODT yesterday supported the idea of more balloon launches but preferred them to be as late as possible in the tourist season so they were less disruptive.

Yesterday's launch caused the second shutdown of the airport this month.

The first launch attempt on Otago Anniversary Day was abandoned because wind conditions were wrong.

There was no such problem yesterday, on a cool, calm, early autumn morning.

The first indication a launch was likely came at 7.26am when the decision was made to lay out the balloon.

At 9.36am a smaller ''tow balloon'' was inflated to lift the high-pressure balloon off the ground as it was inflated.

As the balloon grew in size, a band of cloud approached from the west, and by 10.07am a slight breeze became evident.

A few minutes later, at 10.12am, the inflated balloon was released and began rising rapidly.

Speaking to media after the launch, Ms Fairbrother indicated it had been a close call.

''If we had that [breeze] earlier it would have been problematic ... but by the time the wind started picking up we had enough lift in the balloon that we were able to handle it.''

Within 10 minutes the balloon was beyond the clouds and barely visible, and three hours later it crossed the coast north of Oamaru at an altitude of more than 33km, travelling east at 75kmh.

Some observers described it as looking like an onion, others likened it to an upside down teardrop, and one considered it looked more like a condom.

Airport operations manager Ralph Fegan said the Nasa project had provided ''fantastic exposure'' for the Wanaka region and New Zealand.

''We're hoping it's the start of a good long-term working relationship,'' he said.

Ms Fairbrother said it was hoped the balloon would stay at its 33.5km ''float altitude'' for up to 100 days.

The record is 54 days.

Nasa had limited control over the balloon.

It was able to vent helium gas or release the ballast but Ms Fairbrother hoped that would not be necessary.

The balloon could be brought down for safety reasons if it drifted north to more highly populated latitudes.

Super-pressure balloons are seen as a cheaper way of carrying out space exploration than rocket-borne space craft.

Nasa's next super-pressure balloon launch will be from Hawaii in June.

mark.price@odt.co.nz

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