Horus 14
Technical information:
| Launch date | 18/01/2011, 11:30 am |
| Landing date | 18/01/2011, 2:00 pm |
| Flight duration | ~2.5 hours |
| Launch site | -35.1021, 138.825 |
| Landing site | -34.9597, 140.0354 |
| Flight path | |
| Distance travelled | 111.5 km |
| Maximum altitude | 30,209 m |
| Average ascent rate | 5 m/s |
| Impact speed | 4 m/s |
| Video camera | GoPro HD Hero |
| Flight computer | Nut 1.1 flight computer |
| Secondary flight computer | MobSendDat telemetry system |
| GPS module | Falcom FSA03 |
| Radio transmitter | Radiometrix NTX2 25mw |
| Secondary radio transmitter | Radiometrix TX1H 100mW |
| Telemetry | 300 baud RTTY, CRC16 checksum |
| Tracking | Ground stations (distributed listener), 2 chase cars, web based tracker |
Details:
Horus 14 was a charity launch organised in conjunction with the organisers of the 2011 Linux.conf.au.
The aim was to fly a plush Tux doll into near space & film the entire ordeal - with the doll later being auctioned off to raise money for the Queensland flood appeal.
Preparation:
Preparation for Horus 14 went smoothly - both Mark and my payloads worked perfectly at setup. We had no trouble with inflation or stringing together the balloon train, and our second chase team for the day (David Rowe VK5DGR and his son William) got to see how a launch goes under ideal conditions!
Mark with his payload & Joel inflating in the background
Launch:
As is becoming somewhat of a norm, the balloon train had several payloads & was quite long. Thanks to to great weather and prep by the team, we had no trouble launching smoothly though.
Raising the balloon train into the air
With tux airborne, we set off towards the predicted landing site (near Karoonda). Throughout the flight, predictions were very consistent, which made getting into position to intercept the landing easy. At the time of touchdown, Joel and I were parked on the side of the road, watching the payload descend into a field, and our second chase car was not far behind.
Unfortunately for us, recovering the payload meant a long walk through a field of very tall thistles - not much fun for those of us wearing shorts!
Recovered!
Footage & Linux.conf.au:
Some great footage was captured of Tux in 'space' - Grant put together a great clip for us:
A week after launch, Mark & Joel were off to Linux.conf.au, where they gave a talk on the project and organised the charity auction of Tux - the result of which was phenomenal with $23,239 raised for the Queensland flood appeal! The winner took home Tux himself & a giant print signed by LCA keynote speaks & Linus Torvalds.
Mark and Joel with Tux & the signed print
A big thanks to everybody who made this a possibility, and to those who bid at the auction. 