For Immediate Release
Contacts: Kim Vesely and Letitia Hill: media@twoeaglesballoonteam.com
Two Eagles Team Continues Preparation for Launch
View Live Streaming of Launch Site on Web Site
Albuquerque, NM and Saga, Japan, 9 PM MST (0400Z): It’s evening in Albuquerque and midday in Saga,
Japan, where the launch support team for the Two Eagles balloon flight are continuing to prepare for
one of the most critical and challenging portions of the expedition: inflating the giant balloon that will
carry Leonid Tiukhtyaev and Troy Bradley across the Pacific Ocean.
In an exciting new addition for our many friends around the world who are following this flight, a live
video feed from the launch site in Saga is now being streamed through the web site,
www.twoeaglesballoonteam.com.
Weather conditions continue to be favorable for an early Friday morning launch in Japan, which would
put the launch time in the early to mid-afternoon in New Mexico (Mountain Standard Time) and in the
evening hours in international (Zulu) time. These weather conditions include light winds at the launch
site to allow for inflation of the balloon, and fast winds aloft across the Pacific to speed the balloon to its
destination in North America.
The pilots and ground support team in Japan are continuing to prepare the balloon and capsule for
launch. This includes inventorying the equipment, installing the radio communications gear and avionics
in the capsule, and attaching 287 color-coded sandbags, each containing 40 pounds of sand ballast
(think of ballast as “fuel;” the color coding will help the pilots track the amount of ballast expended as
the flight progresses). They’re also loading all the supplies Tiukhtyaev and Bradley will need to survive
for up to ten days aloft, including food, clothing, and (before you ask!) a simple porta-potty. After all,
they won’t be able to stop at the local convenience store to pick up anything they forget!
Later in the evening (early morning Thursday in Albuquerque), if the wind conditions are calm as
expected, the team will begin pumping helium into the 141-foot (43.8 meter) tall, 350,000 cu. ft. (9,911
cu. meter) balloon envelope – the “balloon” part of the balloon. The envelope is made of lightweight
but strong non-porous fabrics to limit the loss of gas during the flight.
In the history of long-distance trans-oceanic and around-the-world flights, the inflation and launch has
been one of the most challenging and difficult periods of the entire expedition. Balloons are especially
susceptible to wind while on the ground – the fabric acts like a big sail – and sudden increases in wind
can cause damage to the balloon and other equipment, dooming the launch. For example, Double Eagle
V’s launch for the first successful manned balloon crossing in 1981 came on the team’s third attempt:
the two previous attempts had to be aborted due to sudden increases in the wind and equipment
problems.
With a forecast for calm to light winds in Saga, the Two Eagles team anticipates a smooth inflation and
launch. We will continue to provide updates on the progress towards launch on the website,
www.twoeaglesballonteam.com, and our social media sites. Once the balloon is aloft, you can follow
the team’s progress via live tracking on our website.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TwoEaglesBalloonTeam
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TwoEaglesTeam
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRhkAHxTzC377lBSX3lFPwg
Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/twoeaglesteam
Instagram: http://instagram.com/twoeaglesballoonteam
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/twoeaglesballoonteam
Tumblr: http://twoeaglesballoonteam.tumblr.com
Google: https://plus.google.com/117257208839520786955
Hashtags:
#TwoEagles
#WorldRecordAttemp
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