A scientific balloon starts its ascent into the air as it prepares to launch carrying NASA’s Payload for Ultrahigh Energy Observations (PUEO) mission. The mission lifted off from Antarctica at 5:56 a.m. NZST, Saturday, Dec. 20 (11:56 a.m., Friday, Dec. 19 in U.S. Eastern Time).
The PUEO mission is designed to detect radio signals created when highly energetic particles called neutrinos from space hit the ice. The PUEO payload will collect data that give us insight into events like the creation of black holes and neutron star mergers. Alongside the PUEO mission are two other balloons carrying calibration equipment sending test signals to help scientists make sure the payload equipment is working correctly when it tries to detect real signals from space.
Track the balloons in realtime.
Image credit: NASA/Scott Battaion
一只科学气球开始升空，准备搭载NASA的超高能观测有效载荷任务PUEO进入空中。该任务于12月20日星期六新西兰标准时间上午5点56分从南极起飞（对应美国东部时间12月19日星期五上午11点56分）。
PUEO任务旨在探测来自太空的超高能粒子——中微子——撞击冰层时产生的无线电信号。PUEO有效载荷将收集数据，帮助我们理解诸如黑洞形成和中子星并合等宇宙事件。与PUEO任务同时升空的还有另外两只气球，携带校准设备并发送测试信号，协助科学家确认有效载荷在探测真实宇宙信号时能够正常工作。
图片来源: NASA/Scott Battaion
