N.C. Nearspace launches helium balloon
If the Stormfest 2011 event wasn’t enough fun for one day, Travis and I had another fun event. We drove across town to the state fairgrounds to watch N.C. Nearspace launch another weather balloon (the club’s sixth).
Travis and I got there just as the team was inflating the helium balloon. An impressive crowd had gathered around, making it a challenge to actually see what was happening! We soon found a spot and watched as the team did its work.
With the crowd providing a lively countdown, the team released the balloon. Cheers rose with the balloon as it glided slowly through the hot, late-spring sky. The balloon eventually landed in a horse pasture in Ayden, North Carolina, just south of Greenville. It reached just over 60,000 feet on its meandering journey.
We enjoyed watching the launch process and hope to become more involved in the future!
Safe landing!