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We launched Science Teacher Greg Mylet’s Lake Oswego Jr. High Class experiments for the third time from the L.O. school, and yes Delilah the hissing cockroach flew again. Terrible day to launch but we did it anyway; raining, windy, kind of cold, 8:25AM, 3/5/09. Many kids watched from their classrooms and one of the Jr. Scientists let it all go following a group countdown. That was fine, but most of us gave up the search in the first 20 minutes when we recognized the balloon was headed some 80 miles west over the Cascade Range. One van followed the balloon to Warm Springs Reservation but could not get a ground signal. Here is a list of what really happened:

1. The bullet-proof, failsafe, proprietary secret GPS, that was successfully employed in a previous launch, and successfully tested the day before this launch, never sent a stinkin’ packet!
2. Battery died on main radio 49 seconds before impact on ground!
3. Got access to back country from kind folks on the reservation, and with guidance from PSU alumni (Donovan), identified the beautiful wild horse region as favorable to ground search, but had no luck finding payloads. No signal from dog tracker anywhere. Got home at 11:00PM after over 400 miles.
4. Returned two days later with team of 9 folks: Pete, Jamie, Donald, Jenna, Cal, Donovan, Ben, Yongkang, Mark, see tracks.
5. Scan of area finds payload in canyon within 2 hours from leaving car (Approx. 7 mi. round trip). About 0.25 miles East Northeast from last recorded location (at 5286ft elev.). Ben finds tick on neck next day (see image).
6. The parachute, balloon, and connecting lines were in a wad, and everything fell at final terminal velocity 30mph, with max descent velocity of 415mph (no open chute, see image).
7. Main radio dipole antenna pegged into the damp ground to a depth of approximately 12cm.
8. Dog tracker buried in gear with antenna grounded as well.
9. L.O. Jr. High School experiments returned to school Monday morning, 3/9/09. Delilah, the cockroach, survived the trip, but the ugly heroine was found dead in her food bowl two days later—she was about 2 years old (about 70 in roach years) and is survived by thousands offspring(?) Greg Mylet and students are planning on “allowing her body to rest in state until fully dried and then she will be forever enshrined in plastic.” Certainly a tribute.
10. Yongkang and Ben photographed the recovery day.

1. http://www.kgw.com/video/video-index.html?nvid=338639
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