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Summer 2003 Issue |
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| The Great Plains Super Launch 2002 | |
 Doug Eubanks, KAØO, filling one of the balloons with helium. (Photo by one of the crew) |
In 2002 this event set a
new record with the launch and recovery of eight amateur radio
high-altitude balloons carrying science and radio payloads to altitudes
above 75,000 feet. Here is KD4STH’s report on this exciting activity. |
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July 5 and 6, 2002 was more than just the 4th of July holiday weekend for about 25 people who share a common interest. On those two days the second annual Great Plains Super Launch (GPSL 2002) was held in Manhattan, Kansas. For those of you not familiar with GPSL, it is an opportunity for the amateur near-space community to simultaneously launch and track amateur radio high-altitude balloons. These balloons carry science and radio payloads to altitudes above 75,000 feet. GPSL 2001 saw the launch of three balloons and was covered by Weatherwise magazine.1 A record for the number of simultaneous launches was set that year. Seventeen people participated, representing Idaho, Kansas, and Nebraska. The near-space programs that launched balloons were HABITAT, NSBG, NSTAR, and TVNSP.2 The GPSL 2002 launch and recovery of eight balloons set a new record. Over 24 enthusiasts from 11 states attended. The states represented this time were Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and Texas. The near-space programs that participated were ANSR, EOSS, HABITAT, NSTAR, Project Traveler, TVNSP, and Mike Bogard, KDØFW, of the Kansas City ATV Group. Unlike 2001, GPSL 2002 hosted a symposium in conjunction with the launches. With representatives from over half of the active near-space programs attending, approximately one quarter of the entire amateur near-space community was present. They represented the entire history of amateur near-space exploration.
GPSL 2002 unofficially
began on the evening of July 4, when about a dozen attendees got together
for dinner. It was a great opportunity to meet old friends and make new
ones. It also was an opportunity to meet the movers and shakers of amateur
near-space, as I had only heard about them before. The symposium began early in the morning, as many presentations and displays were planned. The displays included capsules and photographs from three programs. The morning session started with introductions, after which many attendees described the history or current status of their amateur radio high-altitude balloon programs and many interesting videos were shown. The first time there had been such a symposium was in 1993, and that event was hosted by EOSS. There had not been another since then, and the attendees of GPSL 2002 considered the nine-year span to be far too long. It is our hope that with more groups getting involved, such conferences will be held more frequently.
After the morning session,
lunch at a nearby restaurant was the order of business. This was another
opportunity to discuss near-space experiences in an informal setting.
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Summer 03 highlights Click here to subscribe to VHF.. _________________ © Copyright 2003, CQ Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be reproduced or republished, including posting to a website, in part or in whole, by any means, without the express written permission of the publisher, CQ Communications, Inc. Hyperlinks to this page are permitted.
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