By now people on site at North Battleford should be able to see helium-filled probes in the sky on the tarmac that are tethered to the ground. These will give a good indication of the wind speed. Look for a vertical line between the probe and the point at which it is tethered. That is a sure sign that a launch attempt will be made.
Michel is being weighed on an industrial scale to help establish the right amount of ballast required on the balloon.
Much of this is a wait and see game. Michel is seen here resting outside in 2003 before undergoing the denitrogenization process.
12 comments:
Will he have a video camera with him?
Yes. There are cameras mounted all over the capsule.
can we see this video live somewhere?
There is a camera on his helmet as well. Clay Center is also hooking up a camera that is supposedly able to film Michel's little finger at 40Ks... They'll be able to actually track him as he falls.
I'm watching CNN, but I'm not sure how well they can cover it.
Yes... but it is a paying services... www.legrandsaut.org
Channel 4 from the UK is on site filming a documentary.... nothing live that I am aware of. The team was trying to get a satellite truck, but it didn't have the money to pay for one and no broadcaster was willing to come on board for a fee as of 3 days ago.
To my knowledge, no one is live inside the airport perimeter fence.... except the www.legrandsaut.org webcams.
Thanks Claude-Jean, this is exciting!
There is a report in French that the wind is rising... not a good sign... even if the rescue teams are being deployed... I have a feeling the launch may get postponed.
Won't it take a few hours for him to ascend to his drop altitude?
I can see him, it looks like he came out of the capsul and is being hounded by reporters. Does that mean it is off or on? I can't tell.
Are you watching on the webcam? It usually takes 2-2.5 hours for the balloon to rise to 40k. The website says the gondola and the balloon might need to be moved. This may mean that the wind has shifted and that they are planning on using a different runway. Can see the balloon? Has it been unfurled on the ground. The balloon can only be inflated once. If they tinker around with it too much, it'll become unusable. I know for a fact that they don't have a back up balloon... which is a huge risk for an operation like this.
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