Glory

Mission Goal

In summer 2025, we attempted to set a new record for the highest altitude reached by one of our balloons. Our prior highest altitude was from Zephyrus Beta at 104,137ft, but the real goal was to beat The Bay School's record of about 111,000ft. The balloon was termed "Glory," as an optimistic ode to a glorious future of reaching new heights.

Preparations and Launch

This launch was scheduled two days ahead of time when Leo Cohen (SCH '26) casually observed that stratospheric winds were unusually strong and moving east to west; therefore, a launch from Philadelphia may be possible without landing in the Atlantic Ocean. After running multiple Sondehub path predictions, the team agreed that conditions were favorable to try a super-high-altitude launch. To reduce the ascent rate and slow balloon stretching over time, and in theory, reach a higher altitude, only trackers were included in this launch to reduce mass. A total of two APRSs (both worked only sometimes, so this seemed like an ideal time to see if either would function in the air) and one Spot Trace GPS, plus a two-foot parachute, were prepared for launch - the entire payload stack weighed in at just under 400g. The balloon was filled on the morning of Wednesday, July 9th, on SCH's campus and released soon after. For the first 104,000ft, the flight went exactly as predicted. The ascent rate was exactly as the predictor showed, the path was perfect, and everyone cheered when the balloon turned around and headed back west over the Atlantic.

The predicted path for the July 9th launch.

Flight Path and Recovery

Just after 104,000ft, the balloon became neutrally buoyant and began to bob between 104,000ft and 108,00ft. This continued for over five hours. While the recovery team sped down the highway in a chase van, anticipating a pop near Easton, PA, prayers of "please don't pop!" turned into pleas for the balloon to "please pop soon!" The balloon sped west across Pennsylvania at over 60mph while the recovery team watched helplessly and, eventually, after some light antiquing in Easton, headed home for the evening. The balloon burst around 8:30 pm Wednesday evening and landed in Gallitzin State Forrest next to a strip mine. The recovery team reconvened in the morning and drove four hours out into the middle of PA to recover the payload. Recovery was assisted by Gallitzin State Forrest Ranger, Jeff Osborne, who located the payload and assisted with knocking the payload out of the tree using a 30-foot telescoping pole with a stick taped to the end while standing on a large, raised boulder. Mr. Osborne generously accepted a cold Philadelphia cheesesteak as payment for his efforts. All payload components were intact upon recovery, with only a dislodged antenna on one APRS. The balloon, however, did not burst into a typical "streamer" pattern; it had one single rip through it, implying that it did not have a typical burst from an excess of pressure inside the balloon at maximum altitude. The eight-hour round-trip drive for payload recovery had the added bonus of going right through Hershey, PA, so an impromptu, but necessary, stop was made.

The actual path of "Glory." The APRS icon was unintentionally programmed to display a small cartoon car, and we apologize to any amateur radio operators who may have been concerned about the flying car whizzing across the state at 105,000ft. We have also reprogrammed all APRS devices to spell "balloon" correctly.

Glory Launch Record 07-09-2025

Lessons Learned & Acknowledgments

This balloon achieved a new altitude record for the Devil Dragon Balloon Team, reaching 107,988ft. While it did not reach the target altitude, Kaymont, our balloon manufacturer, advised that this was a typical outcome considering the level at which we underfilled the balloon and gave helpful suggestions for avoiding unintended floats and reaching higher altitudes in the future. The Kaymont sales representative explained that balloons with this low of an ascent rate can collect ice when traveling through the troposphere, which can accumulate on top of the balloon and either weigh it down or pop it. If the balloon doesn't pop from the ice, it can become neutrally buoyant until either the ice melts, the latex degrades, the balloon leaks out of the neck, or the ice punctures a hole in the balloon. For future flights, we will experiment with different balloon sizes, different ascent rates, and variable ascent rates (using either intentional venting or a "booster balloon") to reduce ice accumulation.

We gratefully acknowledge Kaymont Balloons for their thoughtful counsel and the Gallitzin State Forrest Rangers for their assistance with recovery. We also begrudgingly acknowledge The Bay School balloon program faculty (David Friedlander-Holm, Craig Butz, and Kyle Persau) for their support during the launch and their excellent data analysis and insights.

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