NASA's NIGHTGLOW Mission - Field Pictures from 2003 Campaign

Louis' field journal

Sign welcoming drivers into the town of Alice Springs. This is on the main road from the airport.	A herd of camels graze near the road. There is a camel farm in town.	A closer view of the camels.	The convention center was built just one year ago. We went to a New Year's Eve party there. It is attached to the casino.
This is a view of the hangar where we are working. It is air conditioned so we don't suffer from the heat. We also have it wired for "US" power - 120 V / 60 cycles.	This crane is used as the launch vehicle. An extension will be added to allow the instrument to be picked up.	The Outback Motor Lodge where the team stayed	Outback Motor Lodge - all the rooms have small kitchenettes for cooking
Scott Murphy and Bob Hull vamp while waiting for activity	Road sign advertising the camel farm and date farm, just outside the town. Camels are used to ride tourists around the Todd River.	Camel farm sign	Electronics testing
The pumpkin (ULD) balloon arrives!	This is the gap in the mountains that we drive through on our way into town. There are many such gaps around - they are nice places for hiking too!	Road sign with distance to other Australian towns	A row of sea containers - most of the equipment we use is shipped to from the US by sea in these cargo containers.
The Todd River flows through town - if you can say a river without water flows at all... Two years ago, however, the Todd overflowed and flooded the town. Hard to believe when looking at this.	The casino next to the convention center	The spool truck	Side view of NIGHTGLOW
Gap in MacDonnell range, looking west over Alice Springs from Anzac Hill	IR sensors mounted on instrument	NASA logo on NIGHTGLOW	Ongoing NIGHTGLOW assembly work
Scott poses with NIGHTGLOW deck	NIGHTGLOW team poses on crane (from left to right): Rick Walker, Scott Murphy, Louis Barbier, Brian Albright, Roy Park, Tom Nolan, Bob Hull, Eric Christian, Stephen Holder	The landscape is covered with beautiful old gum trees. The trunks and branches are twisted and the bark peels off like paper.	Here's proof of the thundershowers that we had January 23 - a puddle of water/mud right outside the hangar where we work
Dr. Vernon Jones, the NASA Program Scientist for Suborbital Projects, is here to witness our launch and travel to Canberra to work out international agreements with Australia. NASA has a representative in Canberra full-time. I had a chance to talk with Vernon on January 22.	Eric Christian works on the NIGHTGLOW software during the pre-flight ops	The CAP - the Commandable Apex Package sits on top of the balloon and controls the valving and provides stress measurements in the balloon tendons, along with other readings.	Crawling all over the payload to get things ready for flight
The large crush pad feet have just gone on. We put stacks of cardboard on the bottom of the legs - the idea is the cardboard crushes on landing - instead of the instrument!	Now the crane has raised the payload higher - this is probably as high as they go. Soon they'll back up and take the balloon out of the building.	Roy Park hard at work - as usual!	After a long night of waiting, the Sun is a welcome sight.
Tom Nolan working on GSE software refinements. I was very happy to have a map display showing the current payload position.	Bob Hull built the student payload - a visible and IR sensing system inside an insulated lunch box ! Cheap and efficient. It automatically switches between the two views.	There's a lot of standing around while waiting to decide on a launch! Once the payload is picked up by the crane, we wait until the winds are favorable for moving to the flight-line and laying out the balloon. (this picture and next)	There's a lot of standing around while waiting to decide on a launch! Once the payload is picked up by the crane, we wait until the winds are favorable for moving to the flight-line and laying out the balloon.
Satellite photo of Australia on January 31, 2003. This shows the kinds of clouds we were dealing with then	Some beautiful little purple flowers seen while hiking around the Ghost Gum Tree	Just a typical view of the desert that you see around Alice Springs. There are low mountains on all sides, and you feel like you are inside a canyon.	NIGHTGLOW outside hangarat night
NIGHTGLOW hanging from a crane at night	NIGHTGLOW hanging from a crane at night - from afar	NIGHTGLOW hanging from a crane at night, looking like a UFO - from afar	Anzac Hill
Anzac Hill	Kangaroo sign	Wooden emu in a yard	Wild emu
Wild emu	Cave paintings	Cave paintings	Emily Gap
Emily Gap	Jessie Gap sign	I managed to snap this picture of two kangaroos hopping away along the road as we drove away from Trefina Gorge. We saw quite a few kangaroos, but this was the only picture I could get while driving.	A beautiful and large Ghost Gum Tree. The largest in the mountain range to the east of "The Alice" - as they call Alice Springs here
Closer view of Ghost Gum Tree	Different view of Ghost Gum Tree	Ghost Gum canopy	Ghost Gum sign
Sail Rock	Side view of Sail Rock	Sail Rock sign	The official name of this formation is "Corroboree Rock". I call it Sail Rock for short - because it looks like a sail of a ship.
Sail Rock	Sail Rock	I took this picture of Eric through a large hole in Sail Rock	Trefina Gorge
Trefina Gorge	Trefina cave paintings	Trefina cave paintings	Eric took this picture of me at Trefina Gorge, after we ended our hike
Another picture of me at Trefina Gorge	House in Alice Springs	House in Alice Springs	House in Alice Springs
House in Alice Springs	House in Alice Springs	Aluminum fence around Alice Springs yard	Close-up of Ewaninga rock carvings
Close-up of Ewaninga rock carvings	Close-up of Ewaninga rock carvings	Bob Hull by Ewaninga rock carvings	Bob Hull birdwatching
Bush food	Forklift at night	NIGHTGLOW hanging from crane at night	Simpson's Gap
Simpson's Gap	Lizard guardian at Simpson's Gap	Sign directing viewer to Scorpion Pool on the Larapinta Trail	"No Swimming" sign next to a tiny pool of water under a large rock
Thorny devil at the reptile center	Small lizards at the reptile center	Blue-tongued skink at the reptile center

Eric Christian's pictures

Eric's field journal
Eric's vehicles page
Eric's wildlife page

Sydney harbor bridge	Sydney harbor	Doyle's restaurant on Watson's Bay in Sydney	Sydney Opera House
Flying foxes asleep in trees at Sydney Botanical Gardens	Flying fox overhead at Sydney Botanical Gardens	Sulphur-crested cockatoo at Sydney Botanical Gardens	Rainbow lorikeet at Sydney Botanical Gardens
Alice Springs sign	Termite mound	Two black kites on a tree snag	Telegraph station compound in Alice Springs
Wild kangaroo at telegraph station	Tree growing out of rock at telegraph station	Sunset behind a cloud at telegraph station	White-rumped miner at telegraph station
Galah at telegraph station	Black kite soaring overhead at telegraph station	Black kites roosting in trees at telegraph station	Bob Hull's back covered with flies at Serpentine Gorge
Serpentine Gorge	View from top of Serpentine Gorge	Eric on rock at Serpentine Gorge	A roadtrain - a multi-trailer truck. Bob Hull took this picture.
Louis in front of NIGHTGLOW in the hangar	NIGHTGLOW in the hangar	Heavytree Gap	Heavytree Gap
Rental cars	NIGHTGLOW on the crane	NIGHTGLOW on the crane	Desert treefrog living in hangar
NIGHTGLOW rollout	NIGHTGLOW team	Louis being interviewed	Todd River
Todd River	Rollout	Rollout	Simpson's Gap
Ghost Gum tree	Ellery Creek Big Hole	Ellery Creek Big Hole	Trephina Gorge - Louis is sitting on the rocks at the lower right
Narrow side of Corroboree Rock	Wide face of Corroboree Rock	Low water crossing	The Todd River with water in it
Weather briefing	Crowd watching the daily weather briefing	Eric talking to Alice Springs High School students	Profiteroles
NIGHTGLOW on the crane at night	Scott Murphy at Firkin & Hound pub	Glen Helen Gorge	Rocks at the top of Glen Helen Gorge
Jewelled gecko at Glen Helen lodge	The Red Gum tree branch that hit my rental car	The whole Red Gum branch	Gum tree in river at Simpson's Gap
Ridge on the way to Glen Helen Gorge	Ochre pits	Ormiston Gorge	Mt. Sonder
Galah	Flock of galah	Wallaby	Wallaby
Wallaby	Bearded lizard	Lizard	Black kite
Ghost Moth	Red kangaroo jumping away	Red kangaroo resting in the shade	Young red kangaroo
Bob Hull took this picture of a Red Kangaroo at the old telegraph station in Alice Springs	Twoline dragon lizard	Crested pigeon	Spinifex grass
Maybe a cactus?	Largest Ghost Gum in the Eastern MacDonnell mountains	Helicopter at Glen Helen	Crane holding NIGHTGLOW
Truck filled with helium for the balloon	Spool truck	Truck modified for the Outback

Scott Murphy's pictures

Scott's field journal

A camel in Alice Springs	NIGHTGLOW keel and deck	NIGHTGLOW deck before anything else is on	Stephen and Roy carrying the dolly
Roy in front of NIGHTGLOW	Aussie frog looks on	Plane into Alice Springs	Inside the hangar
Morning view of Sydney from my hotel room	Front door of hangar	Alice Springs stone sign	Witchetty bush
NIGHTGLOW and crane	Telescope without shroud	Two of the NIGHTGLOW telescopes	Spinifex plant and termite mound
NIGHTGLOW	Kangaroo looking on	Camel in Alice Springs	Filling the balloon during TIGER mission in Antarctica - December 2001
Alice Springs Rydges	Roos under bush