Huntsville Alabama
Great Plains
Super Launch
The premier High Altitude Ballooning Experience
June 15-17, 2023
About the Event
Great Plains Super Launch is the premier high altitude ballooning event in North America. Started in 2001 by Paul Verhage, this annual event will be celebrating its 23rd year. Hosted in various locations around the midwest, GPSL attracts the brightest and most innovative amateur balloonists from the US and abroad.
2023 Symposium Venue
Dates
Event Registration
GPSL Groups.io Reflector
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Re: Montana Balloon Aloft
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 5, 2023 | 11:41 amIt seems a typical ratio for balloon:payload weight for large superpressure balloons might be about 2:1 - so that would put the payload weight at about 1,500Kg and the balloon at 3,000Kg . The overall 4500Kg figure fits pretty well[…]
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Re: Looks like they shot it down
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 5, 2023 | 09:35 am
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Nice clean take-down - it seems balloon downing technology has
moved on.
I did notice at least a couple of bits broke off and falling down
independently of the balloon envelope. It will be interesting to
see what they get[…] -
Re: Looks like they shot it down
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 5, 2023 | 05:50 amDoing so HYSPLIT predictions based on the Montana, Kansas City and SC sightings the best flight path match appears to be around 19000 meters altitude (62335 feet). If you want maximum loiter time across a target region, that's the best[…]
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Re: Montana Balloon Aloft
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 4, 2023 | 21:04 pmIt's a Let's Go Brandon balloon 😂
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Re: Looks like they shot it down
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 4, 2023 | 20:49 pmhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGU50_YMvMQ&ab_channel=SkyNews
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Looks like they shot it down
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 4, 2023 | 19:54 pmhttps://www.wkow.com/news/us-downs-chinese-balloon-over-ocean-moves-to-recover-debris/article_8c3477e5-5f80-503d-b611-b1102190cb0e.html?fbclid=IwAR19SRIeF7Me7uToN8Tm2UDuyvFrVY6FPMwXCymdnm9EX_evmdsxiKvH0AQ
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Re: Montana Balloon Aloft
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 4, 2023 | 19:50 pm
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I've
been trying to estimate the balloon size and weight based on
this photo: https://twitter.com/.../status/1621697994943860737/photo/3
It looks like a 737 at cursing altitude (say 35,000ft)
wingspan 35m. Kicking some numbers round in a spreadsheet it
seems errors in estimating[…] -
Re: Chinese Balloon,
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 4, 2023 | 19:44 pm-----Original Message----- From: L. Paul Verhage KD4STH
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Re: Chinese Balloon,
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 4, 2023 | 18:32 pmI think the underside of tbe panels are dark. Perhaps carbon fiber structure?
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Re: Montana Balloon Aloft
Great Plains Super Launch Feb 4, 2023 | 17:53 pm
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Nice one Clif - spot on. Sorry - a bit conspiracy theory I
know:
There seems to be a lot of international politics going on - so
its really difficult to judge whats real and whats being milked.
My own[…]