RECK-TANGLE (The Reck-Tang Limbsounder Experiment)

The ReckTangLE II (Reck-Tang Limbsounder Experiment II) is an improved version of a two band CMOS spectrometer developed for high altitude balloon flights in the upper stratosphere developed as part of a joint project between NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the University of California, Los Angeles.

The instrument detects and maps water vapor as well as several other pollutants. The ReckTangLe features a 500-600 GHz spectrometer band focused on NO2, O3, and other pollutant spectral lines, with the front-end receiver provided by the JPL sub-millimeter wave group.

Unlike the early version planned to be launched as a piggyback payload onboard more complex systems, ReckTangLE-II is a self supporting experiment which counts with it's own navigation, tracking and command/telemetry systems as well as it's own power system and landing/recovery system.

Balloon launched on: 10/17/2019 at 13:54 utc
Launch site: Scientific Flight Balloon Facility, Fort Sumner, (NM), US  
Balloon launched by: Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility (CSBF)
Balloon manufacturer/size/composition: Zero Pressure Balloon Raven Aerostar - A1.128-0-02 - 1.128.000 cuft
Flight identification number: 705N
End of flight (L for landing time, W for last contact, otherwise termination time): 10/17/2019 at 18:36 utc
Balloon flight duration (F: time at float only, otherwise total flight time in d:days / h:hours or m:minutes - ): 5 h 15 m
Landing site: Near Matador, Texas, US

• Details on the experiment UCLA-JPL website
• Sub-Orbital Flight Demonstration of a 183/540-600 GHz Hybrid CMOS-InP and CMOS-Schottky-MEMS Limb-Sounder IEEE Journal of Microwaves, vol. 1, no. 2, pp. 560-573