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KiwiSpace
celebrates
50th
anniversary
of
human
spaceflight
with
photos
from
the
edge
of
space
{excerpt}Excerpt |
---|
AUCKLAND, |
NZ, |
11 |
APRIL |
2011 |
– KiwiSpace |
Foundation |
has |
successfully |
launched |
a |
helium |
balloon |
above |
the |
Waikato |
and |
recovered |
its |
payload |
of |
cameras, |
tracking |
equipment |
and |
breathtaking |
images |
from |
the |
edge |
of |
space. |
While |
the |
MetService |
launches |
meteorological |
balloons |
regularly, |
KiwiSpace |
believes |
this |
is |
the |
first |
balloon |
launched |
with |
the |
goal |
of |
capturing |
images |
of |
New |
Zealand |
and |
space |
from |
very |
high |
altitudes. |
KiwiSpace,
a
new
non-profit
organisation
dedicated
to
making
space
accessible
to
all
New
Zealanders,
chose
to
launch
the
balloon
on
Sunday
to
honour
the
golden
anniversary
of
human
spaceflight
and
to
celebrate
the
official
incorporation
of
the
Foundation.
Fifty
years
ago
on
April
12,
1961,
Russian
Yuri
Gagarin
became
the
first
man
in
space
when
he
boarded
spacecraft
Vostok-1
and
blasted
off
at
6:07am
UTC
(6:07pm
NZST).
He
made
a
single
orbit
of
the
Earth
and
touched
down
again
safely
in
the
rural
USSR
108
minutes
later.
The
KiwiSpace
balloon
was
launched
at
8:48am
on
the
morning
of
Sunday
10th
April,
climbed
to
over
51,000
feet
(15.5km)
before
popping
and
landing
just
east
of
Pirongia,
near
Hamilton.
Recovery
teams
reached
the
payload
at
11:12am
and
were
delighted
to
find
it
intact
and
still
taking
pictures.
Images
and
video
of
the
flight
will
be
made
available
to
the
public
through
the
KiwiSpace
website
-
[]from
Tuesday
12
April.
William
Leizerowicz,
lead
for
the
KiwiSpace
"Edge
of
Space"
project
said,
"Recovering
a
balloon
in
New
Zealand
has
its
challenges.
New
Zealand
has
a
relatively
narrow
landmass,
making
it
highly
likely
to
lose
the
payload
in
the
ocean.
Using
forecasts
of
high
altitude
winds
has
been
essential
in
the
recovery
of
our
payload
over
land."
KiwiSpace
teamed
up
with
the
New
Zealand
amateur
radio
community
to
provide
real-time
tracking
of
the
balloon,
and
LandSAR
to
assist
if
the
payload
had
landed
in
less-accessible
terrain.
KiwiSpace
hopes
to
build
on
this
initial
flight
and
develop
a
programme
of
high
altitude
balloon
launches
involving
schools.
Students
could
assist
with
areas
such
as
component
design,
flight
path
prediction
and
tracking,
or
scientific
experiments
to
accompany
the
payload.
The
mission,
excluding
time
volunteered
by
the
project
team,
has
cost
around
$3000,
and
has
been
funded
by
members
and
sponsors.
Mark
Mackay,
executive
director
of
KiwiSpace
said,
"This
mission
proves
that
for
a
relatively
low
cost
you
can
take
stunning
photos
that
are
normally
reserved
for
multi-million
dollar
satellites."
This
first
launch
was
a
lightweight
payload
of
around
520
grams,
containing:
*- Canon
- digital
- camera,
- with
- custom
- firmware
- to
- provide
- time-lapse
- photography;
- GPS
- and
- altimeter
- that
- transmitted
- the
- balloon’s location
- and
- altitude
- using
- the
- amateur
- radio
- Automatic
- Packet
- Reporting
- System
- (APRS);
- Radio
- beacon
- to
- assist
- with
- directional
- location
- by
- the
- recovery
- crews;
- and
- Mobile
- phone,
- to
- provide
- additional
- location
- information
- and
- pictures.
Future
launches
will
include
additional
high-resolution
cameras,
and
more
advanced
tracking
and
release
mechanisms.
\\ *PRESS IMAGES AND VIDEO* Images associated with this media release can be found on our media releases portal at: [
PRESS IMAGES AND VIDEO
Images associated with this media release can be found on our media releases portal at: http://www.kiwispace.org.nz/x/SICm
]HD
video
footage
of
the
payload
assembly,
release
and
recovery
is
available
on-request,
by
contacting
Mark
Mackay
on
\+64
21
622
379.
\\ *ABOUT KIWISPACE* KiwiSpace Foundation is a new
ABOUT KIWISPACE
KiwiSpace Foundation is a new non-profit
organisation
seeking
to
make
space
accessible
to
New
Zealanders.
The
Foundation
aims
to
showcase
the
benefits
and
opportunities
that
space
applications
provide
NZ;
highlight
the
many
opportunities
for
New
Zealanders
to
work
in
the
global
space
community;
and
enhance
national
space
capabilities
and
education
programmes.
To
learn
more
about
KiwiSpace,
visit
[] \\ *MISSION CONTACT* Will Leizerowicz [mailto:
MISSION CONTACT
Will Leizerowicz
will.leizerowicz@kiwispace.org.nz
+64
22
600
6368 \\ *KIWISPACE CONTACT* Mark Mackay [mailto:6368
KIWISPACE CONTACT
Mark Mackay
mark.mackay@kiwispace.org.nz
+64
21
622
379
PO
Box
301780,
Albany,
Auckland
0752,
New
Zealand.
h3. Attached Images {report-table} {local-reporter:content:attachments} {text-sort:content:comment} {local-reporter} {report-column:title=Preview}{report-image:attachment:thumbnail path}{report-column} {report-column:title=File Name} *{report-info:content:title|link=true}* {report-info:content:comment} {report-column} {report-column:title=Size }{report-info:content:nice file size}{report-column} {report-empty}_No files have been attached to this page._{report-empty} {report-table}Attached Images
Featured Images
Stunning view of the atmospheric boundary and the cloud layer far below, returned by the balloon
The Balloon, just before launch
See below for all images associated with this release