World Record Balloon Attempt A group of Amateur Radio operators
hopes to establish a world distance record for an unmanned,
helium-filled balloon. The BLT-28 balloon will launch from Katy,
Texas, on a journey that will take it across the Atlantic and
the Mediterranean, and then on to Nanjing, China. The South
Texas Balloon Launch Team plans to release the balloon at 3 PM
CST (2100 UTC) Saturday, February 11. During the trans-Atlantic
crossing, when out of range of shore based stations, the
balloon’s APRS beacon will operate on the International Space
Station (ISS) packet digipeater frequency of 145.825 MHz. The
balloon payload package weighs only about 5 ounces and contains
a high altitude GPS tracking system and a 144 MHz FM APRS
Amateur Radio transmitter. To conserve weight and battery life,
no camera equipment will be on board. The maximum altitude is
expected to be above 19 miles, with horizontal speeds between
100 and 150 miles per hour. You can track the progress of the
flight online by entering the pay