All windows on the Churchill Northern Studies Centre have bars on the windows to keep researchers in. I mean, polar
bears out.
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It's so cold in Churchill, even the snow wants to go where it's warm!
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A closeup of the instrumentation flying on the payloads. The pink box on the left is the scintilator, the magnotometer is in the bottom centre, duct
tape for adhesion, and part of the power supply is shown.
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Starting at bottom left, and going clockwise: scintilator, photometer, GPS unit, transponder, power supply and flight computer.
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'Unit 6' designates the scintilator. Moving right from the scintilator is the electronics box for the scintilator, the
columnator tube for the photometer, the GPS unit, transponder, magnetometer.
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The team on Balloon Lake, our launch location.
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Team members Jacqueline Allen and Leslie Woodger clean up after foaming payload #1.
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The foam expands into the cracks.
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Team member Leslie Woodger demonstrates how to foam a payload box.
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Payload #1 after it has been covered with a space blanket.
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The sun is going down over our launch site, and it's only 3pm! The Churchill Rocket Range launch can be seen above the half trees on the right of the picture.
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Montana State University professor Dr. Dave Klumpar fanagles with his camera on Balloon Lake for a group photo.
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We're moving about in order to stay warm!
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As seen from Balloon Lake
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Team member Kimberly Cochran poses on Balloon Lake in the appropriate winter gear.
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From left to right: Jacqueline Allen, Dr. David Klumpar, and Kimberly Cochran
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A look at the trees around Balloon Lake and the Churchill area.
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The setting sun was pretty spectacular.
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Yes, we really are standing on a frozen lake!
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A look at the cracks in the icesheet.
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Boot for scale.
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That's one large break in the ice!
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Two people are to be holding the 60 pound payload box and running across that ice when we launch! Yikes!
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Further out on the lake, but always within sight of the Studies Centre.
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Getting a little too cold and dark to stay on the lake.
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The snow is rather dry up here....
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Look, there are rocks out here!
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The effects of cold weather.
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Many rockets were launched from here to study the aurora borealis.
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Complete with drifty snow!
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Team members Kimberly Cochran (l) and Jacqueline Allen work on putting the space blanket on the bottom of the payload.
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Once it's all said and done, this is the end result (minus the lid).
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And this is what the lid looks like.
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A pretty pink parachute protects the payloads' plummet.
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In order to space blanket the bottom, it must be hung up!
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Time to begin space blanketing the bottom!
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The fin on the bottom of the payload, which is actually the transponder antenna.
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Werner O. from Scientfic Instrumentation, Limited; is in charge of making sure our payload gets off the ground.
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