Sunrise Soar I Report

Written by David Gonzales II
Project Lead and Producer Sunrise Soar I

Sunrise Soar II Team: David Gonzales II, Kurt Johnson, Daniel Roper, Kevin Schmachtenberger, Jeff Davis, Omar Mirza, Taylor Eisman
Launch Date: 17 July 2010
Launch Time: 6:08 AM Central Time
Launch Location: San Marcos, TX
Edge of Space Capsule: SOARER

Mission Objectives:

Table of Contents:

Summary

On July 17th 2010, we launched our very first high altitude balloon flight carrying a capsule called SOARER to the edge of space. The capsule SOARER flew nearly 3 hours to approximately 120,000 feet before landing 80 miles downrange in dense hill country terrain near Tarpley, TX. The day of the flight, telemetry was lost when the capsule was descending at an altitude of 3,700 feet above the ground. SOARER had flown so high and so long that it overflew the coverage area for the tracker. A month a half later, the capsule was recovered after being found by new ranch owners surveying their property. Sunrise Soar I was our first launch but our third flight recovered. The electronics survived despite having weathering the elements and brought back astounding images! This is an account of our team's first venture to the edge of the atmosphere.

Edge of Space Capsule SOARER

SOARER is a small and extremely light edge of space capsule. It carries the minimum amount of equipment necessary to do an edge of space flight complete with high quality imagery and video. It contains a modded Canon SD800 IS camera for capturing high resolution stills, a Creative Vado High Definition digital video recorder and a Motorola i290 for tracking and data relay. It also includes a three foot diameter parachute designed for bringing down large amateur rockets and chemical heating packs for keeping the electronics alive in the frigid reaches of the upper atmosphere. Two placards are attached to the outside of the polystyrene air frame listing information about the mission along with contact information in the event the capsule is lost and found later. While we didn't know it at the time of construction, these placards would prove critical to the recovery of Sunrise Soar I. Copies of the placard and contact information were also included in cards located inside the capsule to protect it from the elements. Fully loaded for flight, SOARER weighs just 1.4lbs. Prior to launch, we embarked on an extensive test program to assess performance of all of the electronic components, test camera angles and shake out as many problems as possible.

For a detailed technical discussion on all of the equipment carried by SOARER on Sunrise Soar I, see the write up for Sunrise Soar II. Information on testing is also included.

Launch Operations

After several weeks of testing the automated camera and tracker scripts, we set July 17th as the date for our first launch. We began running flight predictions based on NOAA GFS models. These models take into account how winds change direction and strength at difficult altitudes. Using this data along with high altitude balloon flight prediction software produced by Near Space Ventures, we determined that launching from San Marcos would give us a good flight path clear of airports, military facilities and bodies of water. We wanted to land in a rural area to the Northwest of San Antonio. The expected landing area would have good IDEN coverage for tracking data relay. Landing scenarios were produced for a wide range of altitudes. The longest possible expected flight time was about 140 minutes in duration and all scenarios landed the capsule in favorable areas for tracking relay. We decided to launch from the top of a multiple story parking garage at Texas State University in San Marcos. One of our team members called the local police department and received permission for us to launch there.

We arrived at the launch location at about 5 am and began filling procedures and preparing SOARER for flight. It was still night but the top of the parking lot was well lit and thousands of crickets chirped away at the top of the garage. We had to constantly scare them away so they wouldn't pop the balloon with their sharp legs. Since it was our first time launching, we filled the balloon with Hydrogen at a very slow rate to ensure safety. We periodically paused filling and measured the amount of lift it was producing with a spring scale. After several measurements, we determined that we had enough lift to carry the weight of the capsule plus enough excess free lift to get a good ascent rate. We quickly finished up the capsule close out, activating all of the electronics, scripts and heating packs. Parachute and capsule were tied onto the balloon. Right before we put the capsule lid on, a small cricket hopped inside and crawled underneath the already secured heat packs and electronics. The clock was now running on the battery life for the electronics and to take everything apart would use up too much valuable energy on the ground. Since it was our first time launching, we were already past our original targeted time for launch. We decided that the cricket would have to fly and we secured the capsule lid.

With SOARER ready to ascend, we began letting out the stack. Arm by arm we let out the balloon, followed by the parachute until the capsule was the last thing to be released. With a cheer, the capsule was released and SOARER took to the sky like a rocket. After all of the work in the weeks leading up to launch, the fate the SOARER was now cast to the wind. Would we ever see it again? We were all surprised visually just how quickly the whole thing climbed out. We followed it with binoculars for several minutes after release before losing it against the brightening sky. The balloon, parachute and capsule appeared dark against the brightening sky. Now it was time to wait.

We headed out to a San Marcos doughnut shop and ate a post launch snack before beginning the drive back to San Antonio.

For a more in depth discussion on our filling and launch procedures, see the comprehensive write up on Sunrise Soar II.

Recovery

Upon arriving back in San Antonio, we began watching the computer monitors for tracking data. As expected, data relay had dropped out during ascent and we now waited to receive a signal from SOARER on the way back to earth. The capsule rises at a steady rate while the outside pressure drops to 1/100th the pressure at sea level. This causes the balloon to expand many times its initial diameter until it reaches its breaking point. Once this occurs, the capsule then returns to earth. When the air becomes, dense enough, the chute inflates and brings it safely to the ground.

In all of our flight prediction scenarios, the longest possible flight time was 140 minutes in duration. As this time approached we began to feel anxious. Would we ever hear from SOARER again? Some members of the team went outside to blow off some steam. 140 minutes came and went and every minute more without tracking meant that something had gone awry. After more time passed watching the tracking page and refreshing too many times to count, I informed the team that we had lost the capsule. This was a disappointing time. I went back the computer and began saving all of the information we had up to that point to try and figure out what had gone wrong. More time went by and at around 3 hours after launch, I decided to check the tracking page one more time before closing it.

My eyes lit up in excitement! There were 2 tracking points much further West than any scenarios had predicted. This had meant the capsule had flown longer and higher than we had ever expected! I went and informed the team that we had were tracking the capsule on the way down. Everyone's spirits lifted dramatically!

Upon viewing the data again, I noticed a problem. The last tracking point put the capsule just 3,700 feet above the ground. By now the capsule had surely landed but we did not have tracking on the ground. Looking at the last data sent, GPS signal strength was higher than I had ever seen it during testing and battery life was still in good shape. What was going on? Consulting a map of IDEN coverage for the tracker, it was discovered that the capsule had significantly overflown the coverage area. On the way down, SOARER had managed to radio data points all the way over to IDEN towers in Bandera miles away. This line of sight data relay ended as communication was blocked by high hill country terrain. This meant we were going to have to rely on the last data we had to locate it. We had information on latitude, longitude, speed, and heading to give us a good lead.

We began preparing to head out and retrieve it, printing satellite maps and entering the last known coordinates into our mobile GPS unit. It looked like the capsule had landed in an area of dense hill country woods. Our work was cut out for us. We began driving out to the tiny town of Tarpley to track down SOARER.

The first problem we faced was how to get close the capsule for retrieval. We managed to find a public dirt road that led to a small cemetery and larger network of dirt roads servicing ranches in the area. We used the GPS to get as close as possible until we reached a stream. We were in a truck but didn't want to risk getting stuck so we decided to tackle the rest of the recovery on foot.

Grabbing several water bottles each, we continued up the public dirt road and came to a house. We decided to go up and introduce ourselves and explain what we were up to. Arriving, we found that the building was abandoned with the door open and in a state of decay inside.

We followed the GPS further up the road before coming to an unmarked gate that was open. We continued up the hill and spotted a man on horseback a distance ahead. We waved him down and he came over to us. I'm sure he was a bit surprised to see us but we explained what we were searching for and he was eager to help us. He took his horse back to the barn and returned driving a bush hog. He offered to drive us as close the last coordinates as he could. He even brought us some cold bottled water which was very kind. We hopped aboard and I sat next to him with the printed map and GPS device. Several of his dogs also rode along with us, all too happy with their heads in the wind. We arrived at a fence line that was as far as he could take us. The coordinates were now just a little to the North and he told us he knew the people who owned the surrounding properties and suggested we go ahead and go the last coordinates.

We thanked him and did as he suggested. We found the last coordinates to be in a very dense area of mountain cedar trees. Mountain cedar trees have lots of sharp low lying branches. This made the hike tough going with lots of bush whacking. After some time we reached the last known coordinates and began searching the area in the direction SOARER was headed when contact was lost.

It was now late afternoon in the South Texas heat and we were all getting tired. At one point I was scanning the tree tops for the capsule when I walked into a wasp nest with my head. I immediately heard a horrible buzzing and took a sting in the back as I bolted away.

After considerable time searching, we realized that it was getting too hot and we would have to call it a day. We decided to go over to a nearby home to meet the homeowner to ask if they had seen the capsule coming down. We met a nice gentleman who explained he hadn't seen anything but offered to let us know if he did. We exchanged contact information and started the long hike back to the truck. By the time we got back to it, we were running low on water and we were very happy to reach the fresh bottles we had waiting there.

We were all a bit disappointed that we didn't find the capsule on the first trip but I was confident we would find it in the future. Based on the data we had, I calculated that the capsule could only have been airborne about 2 and a half minutes after the last data point. Winds were also light at the time of landing according to weather records for the morning of landing. This meant that we had a good chance of finding it.

A friend of mine has a small plane that he had recently purchased. He offered to take me up flying with to the landing site to search for it. We expected that if the bright red parachute got caught in a tree, we would see it pretty easily from the air. I took along an HD camcorder and the next morning we went up and flew over the landing zone. Despite many passes over the area, we couldn't located it either visually or after reviewing the footage. This meant that the capsule had likely fallen through the upper tree canopy.

We contacted a couple different landowners and got permission to search again on the ground. One couple even helped us search and were very friendly and supportive throughout the process. The terrain is such that you could walk right past the capsule and not see it. We made three more brief trips out to the area systematically searching the dense hill country terrain but had no luck. While we don't find the capsule, the area is very scenic and includes a natural spring the feeds into a small stream bed with the clearest water I have seen. On another trip, I encounter a large wild boar which fortunately away upon seeing me. An interesting area to visit. At this point, we decided to move on and began work building our next capsule, PURSUIT to fly on Sunrise Soar II. We were disappointed in not immediately finding SOARER but we had learned much that would help us on future flights. Many improvements were made to PURSUIT that were a direct result of what we learned from this flight.

After our successful launch and same day recoveries of Sunrise Soar II and III, I noticed a large shift in wind direction from the PURSUIT tracking data. In just the last 3 minutes of flight, the wind was shifting direction entirely forming a distinctive curve in the ground track. Previously we had been searching in the direction that the tracking data had shown before telemetry was lost. We hadn't counted on the wind shift we were seeing. After carefully reviewing the original flight prediction tracks for SOARER, I found the same abrupt change in wind direction right at the very end of the flight. I decided to use what I had learned from our successful flights to estimate a new landing position. This would have landed the capsule right on the side of a very large and rugged hill that we hadn't searched yet. It is now more than a month and a half after launch. We picked a day to go searching again and agreed to meet at 10am to head out to the new predicted landing site.

Just a few minutes before 10, I saw an incoming call from a number I didn't recognize. I answered it and found a woman on the other end telling me that she had found SOARER. She explained that her family had just purchased a ranch about a 2 weeks earlier and that they had been out surveying the land when they came across the capsule, read the placard and called the number. They had cut down the capsule from the remnants of the balloon and brought it over to their ranch house. The timing could not possibly have been any better. We headed out to the ranch and drove up to the house. For the first time in a month and half, we laid eyes on SOARER!

The capsule was in remarkably good shape despite having been out in the elements for so long. The capsule had been exposed to hundred degree temperatures and several good thunderstorm events. Water had collected some dirt and pollen on the top lid but the placards were still easily readable. The electronics appeared to be in great physical shape as I looked in through the camera holes. The polystyrene had some scratches on the outside from when the capsule punched through the tree canopy but was intact. Like in Sunrise Soar II, the balloon remnants had caused a partial tangle in the parachute. The landowner told us that her and her husband had found the capsule hanging midway through the trees from the remnants of the balloon. They had been out surveying their new ranch and recording the condition of barbed wire fences on their property when her husband spotted something in the trees. He told her in a joking tone that there was an alien spacecraft hanging from the trees. They had walked over and cut down the parachute with capsule from the hanging balloon remnants.

After talking with her for a bit, we asked if we could remove the parachute remnants and go see where it had landed. We begin hiking up the hill with the landowner, her daughter and their dog. The capsule had landed on the steepest part of a large hill. Parts of it were sheer limestone rock faces. After carefully hiking to the landing location, we took photos of the site and also marked the GPS coordinates using the SPOT 2 beacon that flew on Sunrise Soar II and III. As we were talking at the landing site, her small dog named Kleenex approached with several porcupine spines through its nose. The dog had apparently stuck its nose inside a porcupine's burrow and paid the price. We helped her remove the spines and the dog continued about its business as if nothing had happened. She mentioned that there are a number of caves along the side of the hill where various animals live including wild boar and porcupines.

She also told us quite a bit of history about the site. The large hill where the capsule landed was once used by Native Americans to do buffalo runs. The Native Americans would drive herds of buffalo up the more gradual side of the hill and off the steep side. The buffalo would tumble to their death where they would be butchered and moved to roasting mounds at the bottom of the hill. These roasting mounds were still visible and we walked down and saw them. You could see where rock has fractured and charred due the high heat used in the roasting process. She also mentioned that a variety of Native American tools have been found at the site. She took us near one of the roasting mounds where there was a large stone with a broad, smooth depression that was used by the Native Americans for grinding.

Apparently people have been finding Native American artifacts on the property for years. These include arrowheads and other tools made of stone. These authentic tools can be quite valuable. She mentioned that her family had learned that someone had actually died long ago on the hill where the capsule landed. A woman had been digging for artifacts on the steep portion of the hill when in the process she accidently undermined a boulder on the hill. As she dug, the boulder came loose and rolled over her, killing her. Our capsule had landed in quite a unique and historical location.

After exchanging interesting stories and contact information, we headed back to San Antonio. We were eager to check the condition of the electronics and see if any data was still intact months after launch. The capsule had been located just in time. It began raining heavily on the drive back to San Antonio. Tropical Storm Hermine soaked the area the very next day.

Imagery and Video

Opening up the capsule, there was no sign that water had entered the inside. All of the electronics appeared to be in perfect condition. We carefully removed the SD card out of the Canon SD800 IS and found that it had taken over 500 images during the flight.

They were astounding images, showing SOARER's journey to 120,000 feet. The sun can be seen rising out of the thin blue line of earth's atmosphere. In another great image, Canyon lake glints the light of the morning sunlight. Other pictures show Lake Travis and a number of rivers below. Other images captured highways, quarries and the city of San Antonio from over 20 miles above. Randolph Air Force Base and San Antonio International Airport are also visible in several images. The curvature of the earth and darkness of space were the most visible they had been on any flight. A number of great panoramas were able to be assembled! Due to the longer than planned duration of the flight, the battery expired right before burst and wasn't able to capture the descent. Still, it was great to see the results from our first flight!

The Vado HD camera shot impressive video of the climb out of San Marcos. Unfortunately, the battery on the Vado also died out before reaching peak altitude. This was to be expected for such a long flight. There also were some fogging issues at higher altitudes caused by the three chemical heating packs being used in such a small capsule.

Overall, we were exceptionally pleased with the outcome of Sunrise Soar I. The results were outstanding and we couldn't have been happier to have SOARER back after we thought it was gone for good. We learned much from the period where the capsule was lost that helped take our near space program to the next level. Failure inspired changes that made our next capsule PURSUIT more robust and easier to track and recover. It also lit a fire in us to get flying again sooner than we might otherwise have done if it had been recovered right away. We had the opportunity to meet many great people during our recovery trips and enjoyed many great experiences along the way. Sunrise Soar I taught us how to fly to the edge of space!