LAUNCH SITE

Here's where we did test launching last time:

Lat 47.685312

Lon -119.507904

Here is some online balloon tracking software.  It's nice.  http://weather.uwyo.edu/polar/balloon_traj.html

More links here: http://www.eoss.org/balsoft.htm

Special winter considerations: Dry lake beds won't be so dry this time of year. It is very easy to get permanently stuck in the mud, something to take into consideration when selecting a launch site.

AS of  Saturday, 15000 hours, our primary launch site is EITHER just west of Grand Coulee, Washington

Follow the 174 highway West of Grand Coulee for about 8 miles?  to Rex Road turnoff.

Rex Road is a dirt road leading North at 47.975387 N latitude, 119.159689 West Longitude

Turn off the dirt road and launch at a convenient point.

HERE IS THE SPOT

OR ELSE THE LAUNCH SITE IS AT GRIMES LAKE (see below).  It all depends on the track prediction...

Watch out for POWER LINES, Trucks, and other obstacles.

new proposed

new proposed 2

Proposed launch sites:

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Unnamed park/lake between Quincy and George, Washington - Map

We've used this site in the past. It's a little closer than the other two and is also used for fishing and hunting. The downside of this site is that it is almost due West of Ephrata and Grant Co. airports, so, depending on the wind, there is a greater chance for interference with air traffic from this point. On one launch here we encountered crop dusters that did not appear to be aware of the NOTAM that we had filed.

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Grimes Lake, Washington - Map - Topo

This is a state fishing lake, stocked with trout in the early summer. Not used much by anybody for anything this time of year. The lakeshore is about 20 miles north of Grant Co. International airport so it is in good, clear airspace.

Summer Falls State Park, Washington - Map - Link - Topo

This state park may have been abandoned, as the latest records show that it is now owned by the bureau of reclamation. It is on the border of BLM land on Billy Clapp lake. All of this is pretty good news, as it means that the area should be largely free of complications - as long as there are no locked gates. This site is about 10 miles due north of the Grant Co. International airport and is just clear of their airspace. With typical prevailing winds it is likely to provide lots of clear downrange.

BLM site Northeast of Ellensburg - Map

This is a site on Beacon Road in the hills above Wanapum Lake. The site has significant altitude and excellent clear views to the East. Tracking a balloon is easy from this site as there is very good line-of-site coverage for more than 100 miles downrange. The disadvantage is that this launch site is about 40 minutes of dirt road driving into BLM land, which makes it difficult for people to rendezvous at the correct point, difficult to get materials in, and very time consuming to get to the balloon landing site, even if it's only flown a few miles. Even if it's not a launch site, this might be a good spot for backup telemetry and tracking to locate.

All sites may have camping available.