Purpose of the flight and payload description
TFB-01 was the denomination of a balloon mission conducted within the Esrange test-flight programme to evaluate equipment intended for future balloon missions. No information is available about other systems tested onboard besides the widespread mention on the scientific literature of PoGOLino a compact neutron detector developed as a pathfinder instrument for the PoGOLite balloon experiment. It was designed to measure the atmospheric neutron environment in the stratosphere using two lithium calcium aluminium fluoride (LiCAF) scintillation detectors combined with bismuth germanate (BGO) anticoincidence shielding. The instrument was intended to obtain direct measurements of the neutron flux at high altitude, providing data for the validation of atmospheric neutron models and for the characterization of the radiation environment encountered during balloon flights. These measurements were used to support the design, operation and background analysis of future high-altitude balloon missions, particularly PoGOLite.
Details of the balloon flight
Balloon launched on: 3/20/2013
Launch site: European Space Range, Kiruna, Sweden
Balloon launched by: Swedish Space Corporation (SSC)
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 3/20/2013
Landing site: Near Muonio, Finland
The flight was launched from Esrange Space Centre near Kiruna at 17:20 on 20 March 2013. Following launch, the balloon ascended normally and drifted in a north-easterly direction toward the Finnish border, reaching a float altitude exceeding 30 km. After several hours at altitude, the balloon was intentionally terminated and the payload descended by parachute, landing near the Finnish village of Muonio. Throughout the flight, scientific data were transmitted to the ground by radio while measurements were also recorded onboard for subsequent analysis.
External references
- A Balloon-borne Measurement of High Latitude Atmospheric Neutrons Using a LiCAF Neutron Detector Presented at 2013 IEEE Nuclear Science Symposium, Seoul, Korea. October 27 - November 2, 2013
- A model of the cosmic ray induced atmospheric neutron environment Astroparticle Physics, Volume 62, p. 230
- List of balloons launched from ESRANGE SSC Space website (via Archive.Org)
- PoGOLino: a scintillator-based balloon-borne neutron detector Nuclear Instruments and Methods in Physics Research Volume 770, 11 January 2015, Pages 6875
Images of the mission
If you consider this website interesting or useful, you can help me to keep it up and running with a small donation to cover the operational costs. Just the equivalent of the price of a cup of coffee helps a lot.
