Japanese astro-boffins race to recover pulsar-spotting balloon basket

For the second time this month, boffins will be scrambling towards the deserts in the middle of the Australian State of Queensland to recover the payload from a giant stratospheric balloon. This time, the arrival was deliberate: a team from Japan's Nagoya and Kobe universities launched the balloon to carry a payload of …

[Anonymous Coward]

Mad Max

"scrambling towards the deserts in the middle of the Australian State of Queensland to recover the payload from a giant stratospheric balloon."

Sound like the plot to another Mad Max film.

[NorthernCoder]

Re: Mad Max

The Japanese scientist's vehicles -> http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/05/13/mad_max_fury_road_cars_encircle_reg_hacks/

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Mad Max

'where a chopper awaits for the last leg'

In the spirit of Mad-Maxian comments, hopefully the 'chopper' is an autogyro.

[AbelSoul]

Re: hopefully the 'chopper' is an autogyro

Or even more fun, how about this well known Australian chap?

Icon because.... well, how else can I get away with three choppers in the one comment?

[Martin Budden]

Re: hopefully the 'chopper' is an autogyro

You have linked to a picture of Eric Bana, but I get the idea ;-)

[PleebSmash]

Is this project meant to be low-cost alternative to ground-based adaptive optics observatories or is there another good reason for using a balloon to look at a pulsar?

[nevstah]

its closer to the stars!!!

http://xkcd.com/1522/

[Alan Brown]

"is there another good reason for using a balloon"

You can't observe Xrays from the ground. The atmosphere absorbs them.

[Little Mouse]

"is there another good reason for using a balloon"

It's completely silent, so it can sneak up on the pulsar and catch it unawares.

[Alan J. Wylie]

axis, not access

its particles scream out at nearly 70 per cent of light speed along its rotation access

[Alistair]

Mad Max flavour

"Where a chopper awaits for the last leg"

..... is that how he lost that leg?

[John Brown (no body)]

balloon crashing on takeoff in 2010

I hope the El Reg SPB team have watched that video and took careful note as well as a decent insurance policy.

[Martin Budden]

Re: balloon crashing on takeoff in 2010

Looking at the angle of the dangle before release, it was pretty bloody obvious what was going to happen next.