MANTRA - Photo Gallery
With Photos from Vanscoy, Finland, and Toronto

Photos from Toronto, Friday, October 2, 1998

• The payload back in Toronto - the partly disassembled gondola indoors at the Atmospheric Environment Service
• The payload back in Toronto - the gondola with the OH spectrometer and the two HNO₃ radiometers
• The payload back in Toronto - the AOTF spectrometer with some dents in the lower tube
• The payload back in Toronto - the Fourier transform interferometer and some evidence of bullets
• The payload back in Toronto - bullet holes in the tilting table support and in a solar shield
• The payload back in Toronto - more evidence of bullets in a solar shield and in one of the FTIR LN₂ dewars
• The payload back in Toronto - the release mechanism, the parachute, and the two photodiode array spectrometers
• The payload back in Toronto - Glen and Dale taking a close look at the release mechanism

Photos from Finland, Thursday, September 3, 1998
(Kindly provided by Jussi Kaurola and Petteri Taalas, Finnish Meteorological Institute)

• Finnish cartoon - are those the HNO₃ radiometers?
• Front page of Helsingin Sanomat
• Map 1 - Finland
• Map 2 - Mariehamn Island
• Map 3 - close-up of Mariehamn Island
• Map 4 - closer detail of the landing spot
• Map 5 - and closer detail of the landing spot
• Map 6 - and yet closer detail of the landing spot
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the scene of the landing
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - distant view of the gondola
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the gondola on its side - view of HNO₃ radiometers
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the gondola on its side - view of the top
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the gondola on its side - view of tilting table
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the gondola on its side - view of the base
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - close up view of the base
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - close up view of the gondola's innards
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - close up view of the base and crush pads
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - inspecting the damage
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - close up view of the parachute
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the parachute and gondola
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the tilting table on its side
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - bullet hole in one of the AES photodiode array spectrometers
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the AES HNO₃ radiometers
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - more bullet holes...
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - another close-up of the gondola interior
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - beginning the disassembly with solar sensors in foreground
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - removing the tilting table with the instruments in place
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - more evidence of bullet wounds
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - disassembly proceeds, with instruments laid out on the ground
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - hoisting the gondola upright with the help of a truck
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - more disassembly with the gondola upright
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - gondola held upright from the truck
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - instruments, including the AOTF spectrometer, spread out with police car in background
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - close up of part of the tilting table
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - more instrumentation removed from the gondola
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the AOTF spectrometer and tilting table solar shields
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - gondola and instruments loaded onto the back of the truck with logo in full view
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - arrival at a temporary home
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the outside of the gondola's new home
• Mariehamn Island, Finland - the police keep an eye on things

Photos from Tuesday, August 25, 1998

• The controlled chaos of packing up
• Stephen and Brian packing up
• David, Pierre, Steve, and Clive at the AES computers

More Photos from Monday, August 24, 1998 - Balloon Floating over Vanscoy

• (The last) morning ozonesonde launch - repairing a tear
• (The last) morning ozonesonde launch - filling with helium
• (The last) morning ozonesonde launch - preparing to release
• Balloon mission control - a general view - only Clive sees the camera
• Balloon mission control - Dale and Pierre intently scan the three key computer screens
• Balloon mission control - Kevin, Clive, Pierre, David, and Tom watching the action
• Balloon mission control - Dale pointing out the important numbers
• Balloon mission control - Tom, Kim, Pierre, Kevin, and Dale - the long hours are beginning to show
• Kim, Jim, and part of Keir watching the balloon through the theodolite
• Spot the balloon - it's up there somewhere...
• Sunset while the balloon still floats above Vanscoy
• Map of the balloon's path for the first 18 hours - only four days to the North Atlantic
• Late night aerosol launch - Jim and Jonathan filling with helium
• Late night aerosol launch - Jim and Erik help the experts Jonathan and Dale

Photos from Monday, August 24, 1998 - Launch Night/Early Morning

• Late night take-out during main launch preparations
• Tom and Kim with the gondola just before roll-out, large view
• Main launch - preparing to hoist the gondola
• Main launch - weighing the gondola
• Main launch - gondola in front of the hangar
• Main launch - driving the gondola out to the launch area
• Main launch - the partially inflated balloon
• Main launch - the partially inflated balloon with the helium trailer
• Main launch - the balloon, ready for release at 3:25 AM, large view
• The fully inflated balloon (yes, it's now 25 stories high) and gondola floating after sunrise, 35 km above Vanscoy

Photos from Sunday, August 23, 1998

• Afternoon ozonesonde launch with a novice crew
• Afternoon ozonesonde launch - Jonathan lets go
• Afternoon ozonesonde launch - floating away
• Pre-launch status review meeting - 1
• Pre-launch status review meeting - 2
• Keir and Erik sizing up the new MANTRA tee-shirts

Photos from Saturday, August 22, 1998

• Steve and Dale working on the gondola
• Matt with the University of Toronto Ground-Based Spectrometer in its new location
• Brian, Pierre, Jeremy, and Werner watching the hoisting of the gondola
• Preparing the instruments for interference tests
• Ben and Debra on the hood of the launch truck with the liquid nitrogen dewar
• Pierre attending to the University of Denver FTIR suspended on the gondola
• David, Jim, Bob, and Steve watching preparations for instrument tests
• Dale and Werner lowering the gondola with its sun shields in place
• Dale perched on the boom above the gondola, with Jeremy and Werner guiding from below
• Bob calibrating the AES SPS#2 in his tent
• Ben warming up the AES HNO₃ Radiometer

Photos from Thursday/Friday, August 20/21, 1998

• More busy days.

Photos from Wednesday, August 19, 1998

• Erik retreating into the calibration tent
• George with Erik peering from the calibration tent
• The gondola weighs in at 1225 pounds (555 kg)
• The dry run for the main launch begins by preparing to lift the gondola
• Dry run - Aaron and Dariuz adjust the cables to hoist the gondola
• Dry run - attaching the ballast chute
• Dry run - rolling out to the launch runway
• Dry run - Debra leads the crew out to the runway
• Dry run - the scene of the launch with helium trailer in foreground
• Dry run - rolling up the mats for the balloon
• Dry run - the parachute rolled out
• Dry run - Ben, Debra, and Bob filling the HNO₃ Radiometers with liquid nitrogen
• Dry run - Keir, George, and Matt watch the liquid nitrogen fill
• Dry run - the helium trailer rolls by

Photos from Tuesday, August 18, 1998

• None - everyone was hard at work!

Photos from Monday, August 17, 1998

• Dynamic tests with the gondola suspended from the truck - 1
• Dynamic tests with the gondola suspended from the truck - 2

Photos from Sunday, August 16, 1998

• The gondola outside for solar tests - 1
• The gondola outside for solar tests - 2

Photos from Saturday, August 15, 1998

• The Vanscoy MANTRA team - small and distant
• The University of Toronto group - George, Keir, Debra, Catherine, Erik, Jim, Matt, Ben, Kim, Ana
• Bob and George defusing the ground-based AES Photodiode Array Spectrometer
• Bob, Ana, and George on the roof with the ground-based AES Photodiode Array Spectrometer
• John and Pierre with the University of Denver Fourier Transform Interferometer
• Ron, Pierre, and Clive taking their instruments out for a walk
• David and Clive testing the AES OH Spectrometer outdoors
• Tom, Debra, Bob, and Ana at the AES "operations centre"
• Debra LabViewing with lunch
• George updating his logbook
• David, Steve, Tom, and Clive deep in thought
• David, Stephen, and Brian with the AOTF Spectrometer on the gondola tilting table
• Pierre watching Jim touch up digital photos
• Jim and Ben at "computer central"
• Clive, Bob, and Ben with the Matra Marconi Space/Sira Star Tracker

Photos from Friday, August 14, 1998

• The last test launch - filled and ready to go
• The last test launch - payload and balloon
• The last test launch - balloon ascending
• The last test launch - balloon in flight - success!
• David and Aaron with the gondola
• Dale and Werner replacing the gondola struts
• Jonathan at sonde headquarters

Photos from Thursday, August 13, 1998

• Press briefing - panel members Glen, Pierre, Tom, and Kim
• Press briefing - Kim speaking
• Press briefing - Dale and the audience
• Press briefing - Tom speaking
• Press briefing - Pierre speaking
• Press briefing - audience
• Press briefing - gondola, audience, and cameras
• Press briefing - Dale speaking
• Press briefing - preparing to launch an ozonesonde
• Press briefing - almost ready to go
• Press briefing - ozonesonde balloon in flight
• Press briefing - filming the ozonesonde launch
• Ron, Pierre, and John testing the University of Denver Fourier Transform Interferometer outdoors
• Brian and Stephen testing the CRESTech/York University Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter Spectrometer outdoors
• Debra with the AES HNO₃ Radiometer
• Steve and Bob with the AES Photodiode Array Spectrometer
• Matt, Keir, and Kim at the U. of Toronto "operations centre"

Photos from Wednesday, August 12, 1998

• Test launch five - John and Werner with the payload
• Test launch five - John and Dragomir filling the balloon with helium
• Test launch five - Dragomir and Dariuz filling the balloon with helium
• Test launch five - sunrise through the balloon 1
• Test launch five - sunrise through the balloon 2
• Test launch five - sunrise through the balloon 3
• Test launch five - Dragomir, Werner, and Dariuz preparing for launch
• Test launch five - oops! - the results of an unexpected gust...

Photos from Tuesday, August 11, 1998

• Ozonesonde launch - inflating the balloon in the hangar
• Ozonesonde launch - about to release the balloon
• Ozonesonde launch - assorted spectators
• Clive, Dale, and Werner with gondola (AES SPS and NO₂ Spectrometers in foreground)
• Brian, Dale, Dariuz, and Ben testing the ondola tilt table
• David, Aaron, and Werner with gondola (AOTF Spectrometer on tilt table)

Photos from Monday, August 10, 1998

• Sunrise from the launch site
• Matt with the University of Toronto Ground-Based Spectrometer at sunrise
• Test launch again - filling the balloon with helium
• Test launch again - Dale with helium cylinders
• Test launch again - bringing the balloon to the payload
• Test launch again - deflated balloon
• Erik with the University of Toronto Ground-Based Telescope

Photos from Sunday, August 9, 1998

• Test launch retry - Debra, Clive, and Ben with the payload
• Test launch retry - balloon filled and ready to go
• Radiosonde launch - Dariuz and Dale filling the rubber balloon
• Radiosonde launch - Jonathan about to release the balloon

Photos from Saturday, August 8, 1998

Photos from Friday, August 7, 1998

Early Photos of the MANTRA Instruments

• AES NO₂ Spectrophotometer
• with cover removed
• AES HNO₃ Radiometer
• with liquid nitrogen dewar removed
• AES Photodiode Array Spectrometer
• with cover on
• with cover removed
• CRESTech/York University Acousto-Optic Tunable Filter Spectrometer
• with cover removed
• close-up
• University of Denver High-Resolution Interferometer
• side view with cover removed
• top view with cover removed
• head view with cover removed
• AES OH Spectrometer
• with cover removed

Maintained by: Kimberly Strong
Last updated: 12 December 2008