09/02/2002 3 am Highway to the moon!

Highway to the moon! A scientific experiment of Canadian universities in partnership with the CNRS (French National Centre for Scientific Research) gives us the occasion to witness a "real size" attempt.
Notre amie la Météo ! Le petit ballon sonde s'est envolé hier pour retomber à environ 100 km de la base. Les résultats recueillis aujourd'hui sont plutôt favorables, mais les jets streams restent néanmoins trop forts pour l'expérience de Michel.

It's half past midnight in Saskatoon, and the technicians of Dale Sommerfeldt (leader in stratospheric balloons launch in Canada) stir on the launch base. The lorry with helium, to which is fixed the 325 000 m3 balloon (2/3 of Michel's balloon), Michel dressed his suit for a small photo session, in front of his amazed team. 3 AM: the almost translucent monster takes up a scientific payload for the study of the ozone and disappears definitively in the starry sky. It is past midnight and the Dell technicians (leader in stratospheric balloon launches) move around under the spotlights of the balloon charged truck. Michel is wearing his mission suit for a small photo shoot under the eyes of the amazed team. 3:00 am ; the translucent balloon carries up the weight of the parametric material to disappear definitely in the star filled sky. This incredible show permits Michel's team to be prepared for D-Day. Alexis. Moreau