Purpose of the flight and payload description

A balloon-borne instrument to make measurements of the cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy on angular scales between 0.5 and 3 degrees. The experiment uses a one meter, off-axis Cassegrian telescope, coupled with a four spectral band radiometer. The pointing for the experiment is controlled by a platform which was originally built in the early 1980's by a group at GSFC to map the Galactic plane (FIRS instrument).

Details of the balloon flight

Balloon launched on: 6/2/1994 at 1:00 utc
Launch site: Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility, Palestine, Texas, US  
Balloon launched by: National Scientific Balloon Facility (NSBF)
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon SF3-459.37-080-NSXC-ST
Balloon serial number: W39.57-2-04
Flight identification number: 1532P
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 6/2/1994 at 13:34 utc
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): F 10 13 m
Landing site: 25 miles W of Odessa, Texas, US

This second flight was intended to make observations of the same region of sky than in the first flight. It produced a measurement in statistical agreement with the 1992 observation.

External references

Images of the mission

         

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