back to article Vulture One spaceplane NOW AIRBORNE!

Good morning and welcome to the live coverage the Paper Aircraft Released Into Space launch and pursuit. First up, you can follow us on Twitter, with regular updates from our man John Oates in the main payload pursuit vehicle. He'll be in continual contact with myself and radio man Steve Daniels in the Vulture 1 chase car, so …

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  1. DrogoNevets
    Happy

    Google Code

    Can I please have the google code for the map so that I can make an auto-refresh version of it?

    I'm at work and cant keep pressing F5

    Drogo

  2. Endolf
    WTF?

    Ooops

    Did someone forget to put the plane in the balloon? :P

  3. Laurent_Z
    Thumb Up

    Just saw it drop 8)

    Balise gone from 70 000 feet to 66 000 feet in a matter of minutes, so I think it released...

  4. Tim Bergel
    Thumb Up

    Looking weird

    > # G6UIM-11: The main payload back-up transmitter, broadcasting "EA PARIS Balloon"

    > on 144.800MHz.

    > # G6UIM-12: The Vulture 1's GPS/APRS board, transmitting on 433.800MHz.

    Anybody have any idea why the location of G6UIM-12 (the plane) is nowhere near the location of G6UIM-11 (the balloon) and at an altitude of 3400 feet while the balloon is at 37000 feet (and falling)? Did you leave the plane behind on the ground when you launched the balloon?

  5. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

    A belated question

    Did you guys get the airspace clearance for PARIS?

    Would not be nice if she clips a passing A380 or B747...

  6. TeeCee Gold badge

    Update please?

    I'm sat behind a tw@ter-proof firewall here!

    I saw the balloon got to about 88,000 feet and it's now plummeting back to earth, but the plane tracking still seems to be fubar.

    Is everything OK?

    (Need a "crossed fingers" icon)

    1. MondoMan

      Balloon has landed OK, right near a road.

      Twitter comments have been non-existent until a few minutes ago; they've just noted that the launch went well and that they're on the road to Avila.

  7. The Jase

    Pictures

    Pictures... or it didn't happen!

  8. Elmer Phud

    That's better

    Clicked on the 'street view' link to open it in Google Earth, got rid of all the camera icons and tilted the view over for height. Now watching on Google Earth.

    So many things to do, so little time to do them.

    Fuck 'em all - I'm busy

  9. Don 8
    Black Helicopters

    aprs from elbow?

    Tracking G6UIM-9, G6UIM-11, G6UIM-12 on aprs.fi suggests that PARIS launched yesterday and G6UIM-9 is currently making a break for it :)

  10. Vladimir Plouzhnikov

    OMG

    It dropped 10000ft as I was writing my last post and the pilot seems to want to land at Barajas (as it speeds towards Madrid). I can only assume the amazement of the ATC controller when they hear "Madrid Tower, this is Vulture 1, request clearance for landing"!

  11. Anonymous Coward
    Paris Hilton

    woot!

    Glad to see the balloons live tracking is working better than the tests!

    looks like she just topped out at 89,591 feet! well done!

    As for Vulture_1's onboard thats a no show at the moment.. any news on this??

    now watching the chase car on its long drive towards Madrid!

  12. Five
    Paris Hilton

    Paris is going down...

    It had to be said.

  13. Badvok
    WTF?

    Well something has landed.

    What exactly did we see go up and down?

    Confused ?!?!

  14. frankgobbo
    Thumb Up

    Plane vs Balloon?

    It looks to me like the balloon has hit the ground, and looking at the google maps image on this article it looks like the plane is exactly where the balloon is, roughly north of Villa Del Prado.

    Does this mean the plane didn't separate?

    Great work no matter what happens though guys

  15. MondoMan
    WTF?

    It was going so well...

    Has the chase car been pulled over by the Spanish police?

  16. pip25

    Now either I'm stupid...

    or the last piece of location info for the plane itself is from yesterday. O_o

  17. Tim Bergel
    Thumb Up

    Something has landed...

    ...clearly, but who knows what. How did frank get data showing the plane at the same locn as the balloon? I'm still seeing data from yesterday. Different callsign?

    Meanwhile back near Avila, it looks like the chase car has broken down again.

    All good fun and the tracking works really well. Thanks!

  18. Alister
    Happy

    lunch break over

    I see you stopped in Avila for much needed refuelling.

    Intriguingly, although the balloon is stationary, it's altitude readout is changing by twenty feet or so up and down - has it landed in a tree, or possibly on the back of a Spanish bull?

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