MDM FactoryMDM Pico Balloon Flights
MDM 2-6 are Pico Balloon flights intended to circle the globe, with MDM-4 and MDM-5 making 4 and 6 circumnavigations at an altitude of 41,000 feet. MDM-2 and MDM-4 both burst on ascent before reaching a stable altitude. MDM-6 floated to a stable altitude but was never seen after day 1.
MDM-2 burst and landed in a tree about 75 miles from the launch site, but continued transmitting for 287 days while exposed to the elements.
All flights used the SBS-13 envelope from Scientific Balloon Solutions using helium as the lifting gas. Every attempt with 8 grams of free lift burst on ascent, with 7 grams seeming like a good target.
| Launched | Payload | Free Lift | Outcome | Days | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MDM-2 | 12/23/2019 | 22.5g | 8.0g | Burst | 1 |
| MDM-3 | 12/30/2019 | 19.0g | 8.0g | Burst | 1 |
| MDM-4 | 1/7/2020 | 17.8g | 6.4g | 4 Circumnavigations | 58 |
| MDM-5 | 1/19/2020 | 18.6g | 6.8g | 6 Circumnavigations | 69 |
| MDM-6 | 1/24/2020 | 17.4g | 8.1g | Burst | 1 |
| MDM-7 | 10/30/2021 | 17.8g | 7.0g |
Ascent rate for MDM-4
The successful attempts averaged about 1.7 m/s on ascent over 2.5 hours.
