Away 38   30th Aniversary and the 100th Mission     June 27, 2009

Away 38 was a high altitude balloon technology development mission.  On our last three flights we had trouble with the GPS antennas. They would lose 
communication with the satellites for up to 20 minutes at a time.  We’re spent the last 10 month working on the solution. Away 38’s job was to test the fixed we made. 

This year is the 30^th anniversary of JP Aerospace, and Away 38 our 100 mission. Partly to celebrate and partly to test a new launch control system 
Away 38 carried two small rockets for launch at peak altitude.

 The balloon lifted off from the Black Rock Desert in Northern Nevada, Saturday morning, June 27, 2009 at 8:45am.  The GPS antenna fixes were a 
big success. We had solid position fixes from both tracking system through out the flight. The rocket fire system worked well. All four igniters (2 per rocket) 
fired, however the fuel got too cold to ignite and the rockets remained in their boxes. 

 The balloon climbed at 99,340 feet. The balloon then popped and Away 35 did a slow roll, deployed the parachute and headed for the Earth.  
The vehicle landed 3.6 miles away 200 yards off the road.

Balloon Burst Pictures

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