Challenger Center and Quest For Stars Chase Discovery At The Edge of Space

Mission Webcast

Live Video from Balloon

Launch of the Robonaut-1 payload on a high altitude Helium balloon is currently planned from a location in west-central Florida at approximately 3:30 pm EST - but could be as early as 3:20 pm. Touchdown of the payload via parachute is expected in the eastern- central portion of Florida 2 hours later. All FAA and USAF 45th Space Wing notifications have been made. The balloon will rise at a rate of 800-1,000 feet per minute (depending on conditions) placing it near or at its high point approximately the time that Space Shuttle Discovery is launched at 4:50 pm EST.

A $1,500 reward is being offered to anyone who reaches the landing site before our recovery team. More precise details of the landing zone will be provided as the mission commences.

A webcast showing launch preparations and the launch itself will begin at 3:00 pm EST and can be viewed at the following locations: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/chasing-discovery, http://www.challenger.org/live , and at http://onorbit.com/suborbital .

Live streaming video will be sent back from the balloon itself during its mission. The signal should be steadily during ascent but we may lose it at one point or another. This webcast can be viewed at http://qik.com/robonaut-1 and also at http://www.challenger.org/live and also at http://onorbit.com/suborbital

Images taken from the flight including those of Discovery's ascent will also be posted on Facebook and Picassa (link to follow).

Webcast schedule - Starst at 3:00 pm EST

• T-Minus 30 - Quest For Stars--background/goals - what the team is trying to accomplish--STEM and Participatory Exploration - while filming Discovery.
  • Tweeting begins at @questforstars
  • Facebook status updates begin here
• T-Minus 25 COUNTDOWN COMMENCES - With Mission Control - Media allowed to start interviews - Payload Staging begins - Balloon OPS begins - Tracking/sensors powered up--warm up--validate tracking
  
• T-Minus 20 Mission Fun Factoids - Weight at take-off (breakdown) balloon diameter - Predicted "Apogee" of flight (and contest) maximum altitude--32 km - Predicted flight time/distance
  
• T-Minus 15 - FAA notification / Cameras all go to launch - Rigging begins - Balloon fill commences - Chase vehicles loaded (refer to vehicle check list)
  
• T-Minus 2 - Balloon sealed and attached to flight position. - Payload secured
  
• T-Minus 1 - Students assemble with payload train - Air horn blast
  
• T-Minus 10 SECONDS - Manual countdown
  
• T-Minus 0 - "And Liftoff of Robonaut-1, Chasing Discovery through the heavens to promote STEM education"
  • 30 second altitude call out for 5 minutes
    

If all goes according to plan, a balloon with a student-oriented payload will photograph Space Shuttle Discovery as it climbs into space from an altitude of 100,000 feet. There will also be live streaming video from the balloon itself during the mission - sent back by two regular smartphones running Google's Android operating system.

Co-sponsored by Challenger Center for Space Science Education, this mission is one in a series of flights conducted by Quest for Stars, a California-based non-profit educational organization that uses off-the-shelf hardware and a little ingenuity to allow students to place experiments at the edge of space at exceptionally low cost.

Quest for Stars and Challenger Center for Space Science Education have now joined together to promote the use of these low cost delivery systems. This mission will be the first of what is hoped to be many future collaborations.

A helium-filled balloon carrying the "Robonaut-1" payload will be launched from a location in Florida some distance away from Kennedy Space Center. The time and location of launch will be determined by weather conditions. With a currently planned STS-133 launch time of 4:50 p.m. EST, the balloon will be launched between 3:00 - 3:50 p.m. EST so as to be in position for Discovery's supersonic transit of the stratosphere. If there is a delay in the launch of Discovery, the team is ready to try again - several times - on subsequent days.

The balloon will rise at a rate of 800-1,000 feet per minute to an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet. After accomplishing its mission, the payload will be released and descend by parachute. After the payload descends for 15-30 minutes, a trained recovery team will retrieve the payload and download its data and imagery.

Onboard Robonaut-1 is a HD Camera Phone Satellite (PHONESAT) that will attempt to capture images of Space Shuttle Discovery as it leaves Earth for space. Multiple cameras and an on-board computer system will ensure that Discovery launch images will be captured during its ascent. Some of those photos will include logos for Quest For Stars, STS-133, Challenger Center, and Motorola. In addition, the payload contains a Motorola i290 mobile phone and a Garmin eTrex GPS system that is connected to a ham radio transmitter. The payload is designed to have multiple means of communication for backup purposes.

Live video of mission activities will also be streamed during the mission. This webcast can be watched athttp://www.ustream.tv/channel/chasing-discovery, http://www.challenger.org/live, and athttp://onorbit.com/suborbital.

Live video from the Robonaut-1 itself during flight will be available at http://qik.com/robonaut-1.

Updates during the mission including live tracking information during ascent and descent can be obtained by following http://twitter.com/questforstars or on Facebook at http://tinyurl.com/4hu4337.

A report on this balloon mission will be provided by Quest for Stars' representative Bobby Russell at the Next-Generation Suborbital Researchers Conference (NSRC) in Orlando, FL. Russell will speak on Tuesday, March 2nd at 8:15 a.m. EST. More information on this conference can be found at http://nsrc.swri.org.

About Challenger Center for Space Science Education

Using space exploration as a theme and simulations as a vehicle, Challenger Center for Space Science Education and its international network of 48 Challenger Learning Centers create positive educational experiences that raise students' expectations of success, fosters a long-term interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), and inspires students to pursue studies and careers in these areas. Challenger Center's network of Challenger Learning Centers across the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and South Korea reach more than 300,000 students each year through simulated space missions and educational programs, and engage over 40,000 educators through missions, teacher workshops and other programs. To learn more about Challenger Center for Space Science Education, visit www.challenger.org.

About Quest for Stars

Quest for Stars is a nonprofit organization that works in partnership with high schools and middle schools to bring the excitement of sending small payloads to the edge of space on high altitude balloons and then retrieving them. Quest for Stars encourages children and young adults to reach for the stars by exposure to STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) educational concepts and their application to space research. The organization works with partners such as the Motorola Foundation and Challenger Center for Space Science Education to bring space access down to Earth. The shared mission: to inspire the next generation of explorers.

Once retrieved the payload bay is donated to a school along with pictures in High Definition at the edge of space. This allows the students to be part of the design and launch of the payload--which is an experience they will never forget. All materials, time, and effort are provided to the selected school at absolutely no cost. Quest for stars provides all materials and FAA interfacing required to launch weather balloons into the stratosphere. Their staff consists of private pilots, electronic experts, and mechanical engineers who ensure that launch vehicles meet all federal regulations. For more information visithttp://www.questforstars.com.

Additional Information

For Challenger Center media inquiries, please contact Challenger Center via e-mail at info@challenger.org; phone at (888) 683-9740 or (703) 683-9740; or by completing the Feedback Form.