Category: Uncategorized

  • PongSats Away!

    DVDs’ copied, pictures, data sheets printed and certificates signed. All of the Away 38 PongSats are winging their way back to their respective researchers. This batch of space experimenters came from Belgium, England and California.

    This makes 3289 flown so far. Sixteen PongSats have already come in for the next flight.

    PongSats forever!

  • Video from our 100th Trek into the Sky

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    These are scene from the Away 38 flight on June 27, 2009. There were six ground video camera, four flight video camera and three flight still camera (plus a documentary film crew, but we didn’t get to see there video yet). The video is a just under nine minutes of samples of the 20 hours of film we shot.

  • Top Ten Airship/Near Space Books

    There are more good ones, but these are the few you never let get too far away from your desk.

    10. Shenandoah Saga, by Thom Hook 1973

    9. Touching Space, The Story of Project Manhigh, by Gregory Kennedy 2007

    8. The Pre-Astronauts: Manned Ballooning on the Threshold of Space, by Craig Ryan 1995

    7. Man High, By Lt. Col. David Simons (MC) USAF 1960

    6. Airship Aerodynamics, by The United State War Department 1929

    5. Airship Technology, by Gabriel Khoury and J. David Gillett, 1999

    4. Magnificent Failure: Free Fall from the Edge of Space, by Craig Ryan 2003

    3. Pressure Airships, by Thomas Blakemore and W.Watters Pagon 1927

    2. Up Ship, by Lt. Commander C.E. Rosendahl 1931

    1. Floating to Space, The Airship to Orbit Program, by John Powell 2008
    (OK, you had to see that coming…)

  • From a Different Angle

    Here are some more burst and descent stills. These are from the horizontal HD camera. Being horizontal there are some good landing scenes.

  • New Web Page

    We’ve added a Away 36-37 mission page. We’re slowly getting caught up.

  • Flight 100, Away 38

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    At 99,340 feet.

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    The JPA Zone.
    The JPA Zone.
  • Rolling to the Desert

    The team just roll out with the mission control van in the lead. I’ll be following in about 5 minutes. Tomorrow at 4am we’ll be on the lakebed for the launch of Away 38. This will be our 100th flight.

    This mission is pretty packed. Lots of new gear being checked out and some special stuff once we’re at the edge.

  • New High Altitude Propeller Video

    Here’s a recut version of the Away 22 high altitude propeller test mission from six years ago. I’ve put in the scenes from the recently recovered camcorder.

    See “Home Again” post on May 27th.

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