|
The Flight of Squad 5
The Troopers of Squadron 5 awoke to bright, clear weather on the morning
of February 15th. The temperature was in the 40's, somewhat chilly, but all were thankful for the beautiful blue skies
which contrasted to the previous 4 days of rain and gloomy cloud cover. Mission Control attended to the business of launching
an unmanned wind-test balloon. After the launch and ensuing number-crunching of the flight data, it was determined
that Squad 5's mission was a go. This flight was the first to be launched from an experimental "simultaneous release"
launch pad, and there was some nervous energy in the group as they awaited launch time. Captain Hallie Parker kept the morale
up by exhibiting high spirits and leadership.
The flight was scheduled to be launched at 3:00pm Central Standard
Time. Mission Control busily prepared the launch site, recorded weather data, and completed operational details
of the mission. Flight Operations inflated balloons and attached the Troopers. At 2:55 pm, each Trooper was at the
launch pad, determined to complete their missions. BaTSAR was on hand as they are for every launch, ready for action
in case of emergency. The countdown bagan. At 2:58pm, there was quite a scare... the mission was nearly aborted as
the neighbor's dog wandered over and showed a little too much interest in the balloons. Mission Control succesfully
evacuated the errant canine, (see dog on driveway in first photo) and at 3:00pm the Squadron was released.
The release from the prototype launch pad went perfectly. Each
Trooper left the ground in splendid fashion with no bumping or tangles. The still air allowed the Squad to gain altitude
quickly. BaTSAR breathed a sigh of relief as the flight easily cleared the power lines... their services would not be
needed this time.
The breeze slowly moved the flight to the southeast. Captain
Parker held the flight in tight formation. Mission Control and Flight Operations monitored the flight data and
what a marvelous sight it was to see the colorful helium balloons rising into the crystal blue sky.
Captain Parker maneuvered the squad into a T-formation and took
the group further to the southeast. Mission Control and Flight Operations continued monitoring the flight up to the
loss of visual contact. At that point, Mission Control turned the responsibility for the flight over to the Ground
Allies. A recovery from this flight would be the perfect ending to a perfect mission. Let's keep our fingers crossed.
Miscellaneous Photos
|
