Flight operations for HASP 2009 will take place in Ft. Sumner, New Mexico and will begin on September 1. Teams who are planning to participate in the flight operations should arrive no earlier than that date. The HASP payload will be prepared for flight and the Mission Readiness Review (MRR) is planned to take place on Friday September 4. All student payloads planning to fly must be integrated with HASP and readied for flight by Thursday September 3. Following MRR no modifications to the student payloads will be allowed with the exception of pre-launch procedures specified in the payload Flight Operation Plan (and agreed to by HASP management) and for emergencies.

The target launch date for HASP 2009 is Monday September 7. As specified in the Flight Operation Plan Template, however, ALL flight operations dates are subject to great uncertainty. HASP can launch anytime after MRR is completed or could be delayed by days or weeks. It is highly recommended that anyone planning to attend flight operations should purchase fully refundable airline tickets.

The nearest major airport to Ft. Sumner is Albuquerque, New Mexico. You will need to rent a vehicle at the airport and the drive to Ft. Sumner takes about three hours. Attached here are maps showing the route from Albuquerque to Ft. Sumner and the "city" of Ft. Sumner itself.

We recommend two hotels in Ft. Sumner. The Super 8 hotel is located at 1703 E. Sumner Ave. and its phone number is 575-355-7888. Billy the Kid Country Inn, which is where Stewart and Guzik will be staying is located at 1700 E. Sumner Ave. and its phone number is 575-355-7414. The BK Inn has limited space, but in our opinion has nicer rooms and better service than the Super 8. If you wish to try to stay at the BK Inn you should call now and tell Gary or Elaine that you are with the HASP balloon program.

Ft. Sumner is hot and dry during the day in early September and can get fairly cool during the night and early morning hours (it is a desert) so pack accordingly. For launch day I would recommend shoes, socks, long pants and a jacket.

E-mail guzik (guzik@phunds.phys.lsu.edu) with any questions that you may have about flight operations.