Update: FedEx has FOUND BTS-1! The entire team and crew of BTS-1 would like to say a very sincere “thank you” to everyone at FedEx for their hard work and very helpful attitudes, and a special thank you to @FedexLaShelia.
Many of you know that we launched a weather balloon to near space from Houston. The mission is called BTS-1 (Balloon Transportation System, first flight). Our capsule survived a flight to about 78,000 feet, and landed in a Louisiana swamp, where it was lost for days. The capsule was finally recovered in a dramatic rescue involving an aircraft flyover and airboats. The rescue was followed by approximately 140,000 people on Facebook and Twitter.
After the rescue, the capsule was shipped via FedEx overnight to a location in Stanford, CA to process the images and video and examine the capsule and equipment. Unfortunately, it never arrived. FedEx says the shipment has been lost, and a trace on the shipment turned up no results. The Twitter hashtag #BTS1 used to tweet about the mission was soon replaced by a new one – #FindBTS1.
We want to make one thing clear. We understand that mistakes happen, and we do not intend to slander FedEx or damage their reputation. However, we do want them to understand the importance of this package, the fact that thousands of people are watching, and that its purpose is science and charitable outreach. Recovering the capsule does not only mean great pictures and video. We need those pictures and videos to analyze the flight to better determine our burst altitude, and to teach the physics of the balloon bursting under low atmospheric pressure. There were also items flown in the capsule that cannot be replaced, including a sticker that once flew on the space shuttle Columbia.
We would like to thank all of you for your continued support of our mission and for your posts and tweets that very well may help us bring the Inspiration capsule home.
