2011 in Review

2011 A Year in Pictures

What an incredible year! Nineteen missions, nearly a thousand PongSats flown, our airship flies to the edge of space and 360,000 people watching us live as
we send thousands of good will messages from Japan over the Galaxy II phone at 100,000 feet; add to that twenty-seven magnetohydrodymanic tests for our airship's
quad engine and you have a very satisfying 365 days.

PongSat Missions

Three flights carrying 860 PongSats

The team sent three vehicles up in one day. One vehicle Away 49 took picture of another vehicle, Away 49 while they both were at 102,000 feet..

The real work of PongSats happens after landing, sorting, printing pictures and shipping them all back.

Samsung development missions and dress rehearsals

We spent a LOT of time at the edge of space in 2011..

If you're lucky, what goes up does come down. We had a bit higher adventure to recovery ratio than we normal like, but it makes for good "There I was..." stories.
This year JPA started it's presents on Facebook.

I had my first hot air balloon ride and followed up with training and solo. We need balloon licenses for DSS flights. The original Tandem model is now hang in the
International Balloon Museum in New Mexico. Ascenders and Dark Sky Stations make it into the comic this year! The Sky Pup chase plane got it's whole
plane recovery parachute.

Samsung Space Balloon Project Live

These mission really expanded our telemetry abilities.    1:30am briefing at Brunos This was our biggest operations so far.

High winds, rain , lightening, seven vehicles at 100,000 feet coordinated with a concert and a live audience on the other side of the planet. We were challenged to beyond what
we though was possible and built lasting friendships along the way. We archive our highest wind launch every. Successful lift off with winds at 35 mph gusting to 45 mph.

Tandem

This was the big one we had been working toward.

Tandem flew prefect and flew to 95,085 feet, four miles higher than any airship before.

ME Too!!

The landing of Mesospheric Explored Two was watched by a hunter while ME Too was watching him, Great Video! ME Too carried even more PongSats!

Bob the Hunter at the landing site. ME Too just waiting to go home.

Engine Development, Patent and continuing on

The team made it to the next stage with our Hall effect magnetohydrodynamics. We recieved, after several year of work and just after the flight, the patent for the Tandem airship.
We wrapped up the year by beginning construction of the new Dark Sky Station.

Paul readying another balloon for a trip into the black.

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