From the Ice: BARREL Status Update #20

Hi all,

Today we got Payload 2N bench-tested at Halley. The weather was pretty unpleasant - snowing and windy - but is expected to improve tomorrow. The SANAE team helped to install a new VLF antenna mast while they waited for the winds to die down. Unfortunately, the winds never came down enough to launch. We're hopeful that we'll have a launch opportunity at one or both stations tomorrow.

Despite the predictions, there wasn't any strong geomagnetic activity today. We did continue to see some precipitation at several balloons, however.

Robyn

From the ice: BARREL Status Update #19

Hello from Halley!

Sorry for the lack of status report last night, but he internet was terrible and I couldn't seem to get any emails through. There wasn't much new to report anyway! We weren't able to launch any balloons yesterday or today due to unfavorable surface conditions. Tomorrow looks like a possibility for SANAE and Friday for Halley. Meanwhile, we finished getting payload 2M flight-ready today. SANAE has several waiting on deck and ready to launch.

We still have 6 payloads in the air. Several of them have been seeing precipitation over the last few days and all of them observed the X1 solar flare yesterday as well as the energetic protons that arrived. We saw what looks like a very bright relativistic event last night that coincided with a large dropout in the GOES electron flux.  It's not yet clear if the precipitation was responsible for the dropout but this will be an interesting event to study. A CME is due to arrive tomorrow morning, so we are expecting activity to continue and likely increase.

All for now

Robyn

From the ice: BARREL Status Update #18

Hi folks,


 Payload 2L was launched from Halley today at 1657 UT. We now have 6 balloons in air! Hopefully we'll see some action tomorrow with the expected arrival of a CME.  We don't expect to launch from Halley again tomorrow. The weather at SANAE is also predicted to be unfavorable. We'll send an email to the ground station folks in the morning if the weather looks like it's improving. In the meantime, we're working on getting our next payloads flight-ready.

Robyn

Launch of Payload 2L

Great News, Hopefully just in time for the CME which is scheduled to arrive Jan 7th. Payload 2L was launched at 1657 UT on January 6th. 

From the ice: The Rescue of payload 2J

Today we launched the search and rescue operation for Payload 2J which had been sitting tantalisingly close to Halley since it was cut down 2 days ago. The Halley GA, Al Davies, who arrived back last night after a long spell of relief duty at the ship, gallantly agreed to take Mike McCarthy and myself off base to attempt the recovery. Travelling on 3 ski-doos roped together we drove off into the flat light of a snowy and overcast day, heading straight for the GPS location which the payload told us was about 5 miles South West of base.

Within half an hour of hour of setting out we spotted a small black speck in the white expanse which we recognised as the payload box as we drew closer. The magnetometer readings had indicated that the payload had come to rest upside down, this was quickly confirmed as we saw that the box was inverted with the magnetometer boom still firmly attached. The only apparent damage was to the Iridium antenna mounting which had been torn off its posts leaving the antenna dangling by its cable but still pointing at the sky in a gesture of defiance! The flight train and parachute were stretched out on the ground but there was no sign of the balloon itself. However, Al soon found the white rip panel cord and followed it just a few yards to the nearest part of
the balloon which was all but invisible in the whiteness as the clear plastic film was covered in a thin layer of snow. A number of large holes were found in the balloon but it was impossible to determine which, if any, were the cause of the failure and which were due to damage inflicted upon landing. We had to inflict even more damage to persuade the billowing envelope into the small box sled we had brought along to pick up the remains. The fun continued as we joined Robyn back at base and had to resort to cutting the balloon into pieces to get it stuffed into a couple of empty payload boxes in addition to the original cardboard box which the balloon was packed in, and even then it didn't go quietly!

That's probably the end of payload 2J's Antarctic adventure for now but it may well end up back on a flight line in the Northern Hemisphere before too long - watch this space!

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cheers,

Dave M. 

From the ice: BARREL Status Update #17

Hi folks,

  No launches today, but we were able to recover Payload 2J. Michael and Dave went out on skidoos with our mountaineer and brought the payload back in a sled. It's in quite good shape. The only obvious damage was that the mounting bracket for the Iridium antenna ripped off. Amazingly, the Iridium antenna planted itself upright in the snow and had the cable still attached so we could still communicate with it. We're trying to get a picture to you all, but the internet is very slow today.

At Halley, we are getting payload 1L ready, and the SANAE team was finishing up Payload 2Y. Both SANAE and Halley may have launch opportunities on Monday or Tuesday.

Robyn

From the Ice: BARREL Status Update #16

Despite the prediction of high surface winds, the weather turned out to be beautiful at both Halley and SANAE today. The Halley team launched Payload 2K at 12:29 UT. The SANAE team launched payload 2X at 1907 UT. Both balloon ascents looked great.

Payload 2I continues to see x-ray activity this morning.  Payload 2W also saw some activity around midnight last night.

We were unable to get out to the 2J landing site today because the mountaineer is still on the ship helping with the cargo offloading. We expect him to be back sometime today and should have a chance to go
recover the payload tomorrow morning.

Robyn