For HERO (High Energy Replicated Optics)

[ Spanish Version | Contact | ¿What is StratoCat? | Greatefulness ]

Launch site:Fort Sumner Municipal Airport, New Mexico, US  
Launch team: National Scientific Balloon Facility (NSBF)
Balloon: Open balloon (zero pressure)
Volume: Raven - 39.570.000 cu ft - (0.8 Mil.)
Serial number: W 39.57-2-36
Flight identification number: 541N
Campaign: - 
Payload weight: 3324 lbs
Gondola weight: -
Overall weight: 5313 lbs

The balloon was launched by dynamic method assisted by launch vehicle after several days of weather related delays, on May 9th at 14:18 utc.

After a nominal ascent phase to float altitude (128.700 ft) the balloon started a northern path along the Texas border (click on the left image to see the flight path map).

After crossing during the naight the north part of Texas and the west side of Oklahoma the balloon entered to Kansas were the flight was terminated sending the separation command at 14:46 utc don May 10th. The termination was made using the visual parachute separation procedures.

The payload landed safely at 15:32 utc at coordinates Latitude 37-29.1 N / Longitude 100-47.4 West, 36 miles southwest Dodge City, Kansas.  

HERO (High Energy Replicated Optics)

Responsable institution:  NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
Principal Investigator:  Dr. Brian Ramsey

The instrument, is the first one aimed to obtain focused images of astronomical X-ray sources at hard X-ray energies (20–45 keV).

The key component (the hard X-ray optics) are full-shell electroformed-nickel-replicated (ENR) mirrors coated with iridium to enhance high-energy reflectivity. As the critical grazing angle for reflection varies approximately inversely with energy, these mirrors employ smaller angles than their low-energy counterparts and consequently have smaller diameters and collecting areas per shell. The mirrors have a 6 meter focal length.

To exploit the full potential of the HERO optics necessitates a balloon gondola that can provide commensurate pointing accuracy, stability, and pointing knowledge. The HERO gondola utilizes a coarse aspect system for slewing based on a differential global positioning system (GPS) and a fine inertial-mode pointing system that uses a novel day/night aspect camera system to update onboard gyroscopes.

This flight also included as a piggyback additional scientific payload, an experimental camera called "COSMOCAM" mounted on a side of the gondola and transmitting live from the stratosphere via internet.