Purpose of the flight and payload description
A Pathfinder in the scientific ballooning jargon is an exploratory balloon sent aloft to test the stability or direction of stratospheric balloons in advance of an important mission, or when is necessary to assure that a balloon mission will follow a very precise route.
In this case, the flight was part of the preparations for the flight of the Stratospheric Cryogenic Interferometer Balloon Experiment (SCRIBE 99) a high resolution Fourier transform spectrometer designed to measure atmospheric emission at stratospheric altitudes with high resolution (0.06 cm) and high sensitivity.
Details of the balloon flight
Balloon launched on: 7/21/1986
Launch site: Roswell Industrial Air Center, New Mexico, US
Balloon launched by: Air Force Geophysics Laboratory (AFGL)
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon Raven - LTV-019 - 628.000 cuft
Flight identification number: H86-09
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 7/21/1986
Payload weight: 1347 lbs
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