May 3, 2017
NASA’s super-pressure balloon took flight at 10:50 a.m. local time April 25 (5:50 p.m. CST April 24) from Wanaka Airport in New Zealand. Scientists hope the balloon will stay afloat for up to 100 days, more than doubling the previous flight record of 46 days.
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UCHICAGO-LED NASA BALLOON MISSION LAUNCHES, WITH GOAL OF BREAKING FLIGHT RECORD
On April 24, NASA launched a football-stadium-sized, super-pressure balloon on a mission that aims to set a record for flight duration while carrying a telescope that scientists at the University of Chicago and around the world will use to study cosmic rays.