{"id":549732,"date":"2023-10-30T10:03:35","date_gmt":"2023-10-30T14:03:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?p=549732"},"modified":"2023-10-30T11:59:08","modified_gmt":"2023-10-30T15:59:08","slug":"nasa-c-130-makes-first-ever-flight-to-antarctica-for-gusto-balloon-mission","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/wallops\/nasa-c-130-makes-first-ever-flight-to-antarctica-for-gusto-balloon-mission\/","title":{"rendered":"NASA C-130 Makes First-Ever Flight to Antarctica for GUSTO Balloon Mission"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-article-hero-header nasa-gb-align-full bg-carbon-90 width-full maxw-full color-mode-dark hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-article-hero-header\">\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper width-full maxw-full minh-tablet grid-container minh-tablet flex-column padding-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-foreground-wrapper display-flex flex-direction-column\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-container grid-container-block margin-top-auto width-full maxw-desktop-lg padding-y-9 padding-x-3 desktop:padding-x-3 z-400\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"z-400 grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-7 z-400\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"label color-spacesuit-white margin-bottom-2\">4 Min Read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"heading-41 line-height-md color-spacesuit-white-important\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tNASA C-130 Makes First-Ever Flight to Antarctica for GUSTO Balloon Mission\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 tablet:grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"skrim-overlay skrim-left mobile-skrim-top z-200\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1536\" height=\"592\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?w=1536\" class=\"attachment-1536x1536 size-1536x1536\" alt=\"The C-130 aircraft, a white plane with a blue strip down the side, sits on a snowy runway with a grey C-17 aircraft in the background.\" style=\"transform: scale(1.2); transform-origin: 0% 100%; object-position: 0% 100%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg 2000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?resize=300,116 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?resize=768,296 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?resize=1024,395 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?resize=1536,592 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?resize=400,154 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?resize=600,231 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?resize=900,347 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?resize=1200,463 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1536px) 100vw, 1536px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"padding-y-3 padding-x-3\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-container grid-container-block padding-x-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figcaption class=\"hds-caption maxw-mobile desktop:padding-x-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0 color-carbon-30\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div><figcaption>NASA's Wallops Flight Facility C-130 aircraft delivered the agency\u2019s Galactic\/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) payload to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, on Oct. 28, 2023. The GUSTO mission will launch on a scientific balloon in December 2023.<\/figcaption><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-credits color-spacesuit-white-important\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Credits: <\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>NASA\/Scott Battaion<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\n<p>On Oct. 28, 2023, <a href=\"https:\/\/airbornescience.nasa.gov\/aircraft\/C-130H_-_WFF\" rel=\"noopener\">NASA\u2019s C-130 Hercules<\/a> and crew safely touched down at <a href=\"https:\/\/gcc02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nsf.gov%2Fgeo%2Fopp%2Fsupport%2Fmcmurdo.jsp&data=05%7C01%7Cjamie.l.adkins%40nasa.gov%7C245322b4220f4e97fcab08dbd71926db%7C7005d45845be48ae8140d43da96dd17b%7C0%7C0%7C638340275239119807%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=ljS2jKaEjmhoNMH4tMhfl%2FEXKECLaMqAdaQ9GfXE498%3D&reserved=0\" rel=\"noopener\">McMurdo Station<\/a>, Antarctica, after an around-the-globe journey to deliver the agency\u2019s Galactic\/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO). The United States research station, operated by the National Science Foundation, is host to NASA\u2019s Antarctic long-duration balloon campaign in which the GUSTO mission will take a scientific balloon flight beginning December 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The C-130 crew, which has now completed half of the 26,400-nautical-mile round-trip journey, first stopped at Fort Cavazos, Texas, on Oct. 17, to load the GUSTO observatory and members of its instrument team<em>. <\/em>Additional stops to service the aircraft and for crew rest included Travis Air Force Base (AFB), California; Hickman AFB, Hawaii; Pago Pago, American Samoa; and Christchurch, New Zealand, before finally reaching McMurdo, Antarctica \u2013 a mere 800 miles from the South Pole.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"2048\" height=\"1365\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?w=2048\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"The C-130 aircraft, a white plane with a blue strip down the side, taking off from a runway with a thick tree line in the background.\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 52% 9%; object-position: 52% 9%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg 2400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=900,600 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=1200,800 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wff-2023-078-064.jpg?resize=2000,1333 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">Aircraft Office teams prepare the C-130 aircraft for departure at NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia. The aircraft will deliver the agency\u2019s Galactic\/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) payload to McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The GUSTO mission will launch on a scientific balloon in December 2023.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA\/Terry Zaperach<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/news-release\/nasa-selects-mission-to-study-churning-chaos-in-our-milky-way-and-beyond\/\">GUSTO<\/a>, part of NASA\u2019s Astrophysics Explorers Program, is set to fly aboard a football-stadium-sized, zero-pressure scientific balloon 55 days and beyond, on a mapping mission of a portion of the Milky Way Galaxy and nearby Large Magellanic Cloud. A telescope with carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen emission line detectors will measure the interstellar medium, the cosmic material found between stars, and trace the full lifecycle of that matter. GUSTO\u2019s science observations will be performed in a balloon launch from Antarctica to allow for enough observation time aloft, access to astronomical objects, and solar power provided by the austral summer in the polar region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility Aircraft Office in Wallops Island, Virginia, which manages the C-130, spent nearly a year in coordination efforts preparing for GUSTO\u2019s trip to its launch site. From international clearances with agencies, cargo configurations with NASA\u2019s Balloon Program Office, logistical support with the National Science Foundation at McMurdo, to specialized training on nontraditional navigation systems in Antarctica, the Aircraft Office developed an extensive plan to safely deliver the intricate science payload.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The first-ever mission to Antarctica for the NASA C-130 aircraft presented several long-haul cargo flight challenges. Mission managers and NASA\u2019s Office of International and Interagency Relations (OIIR) started early to stay ahead of coordination of international flight clearances. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe work very hard to make sure that we execute the mission at a high standard of technical competence and professionalism to maintain NASA\u2019s international reputation,\u201d said John Baycura, Wallops research pilot on the GUSTO mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Large time-zone changes challenge the crew\u2019s circadian rhythm. Ninety hours in flight across multiple time zones requires an extra pilot and flight engineer on the mission to share the workload. Mandatory crew rest days at strategic locations, per NASA policy, ensure the crew receives enough time to rest, adjust to the schedule, and proceed safely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-flickr wp-block-embed-flickr\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/gsfc\/albums\/72177720312323293\" title=\"NASA C-130 Delivers GUSTO Payload to Antarctica by NASA Goddard Photo and Video, on Flickr\" rel=\"noopener\"><img src='https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/65535\/53297342586_319c2d85f2.jpg' width='800' height='600' alt='NASA C-130 Delivers GUSTO Payload to Antarctica'><\/a><script async src='https:\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js' charset='utf-8'><\/script>\n<\/div><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/gsfc\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Visit NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Flickr for more photos.<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>Unexpected weather also tops the list of most pressing challenges for this type of flight. Oceanic crossings come with the added risk of weather complicated by no radar coverage over the ocean. The crew uses DOD and civilian weather agencies to identify hazardous weather and adjust flight routes, altitude, and timings accordingly. \u201cFor the specific case of McMurdo, while en route, we called the weather shop at McMurdo Station to get a forecast update before we reached our \u2018safe return\u2019 point. Using a conservative approach, we decided whether to continue to McMurdo Station or return to Christchurch and try again the next day,\u201d said Baycura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For this mission, no commercial entities supported the final leg to Antarctica. U.S. Air Force C-17\u2019s and the New York Air National Guard LC-130\u2019s that typically transport to McMurdo Station had limited space in their schedules. By using NASA\u2019s C-130 for this specialized cargo mission, \u201cthe balloon program gained a dedicated asset with a highly experienced crew and support team. This greatly reduced the standard project risks to schedule, cargo, and cost,\u201d said Baycura.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wallops\/\">nasa.gov\/wallops<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 article_a hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Share<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"social-icons social-icons-round\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-x\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?via=NASA&text=NASA%20C-130%20Makes%20First-Ever%20Flight%20to%20Antarctica%20for%20GUSTO%20Balloon%20Mission&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fcenters-and-facilities%2Fwallops%2Fnasa-c-130-makes-first-ever-flight-to-antarctica-for-gusto-balloon-mission%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on X.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"1200\" height=\"1227\" viewBox=\"0 0 1200 1227\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M714.163 519.284L1160.89 0H1055.03L667.137 450.887L357.328 0H0L468.492 681.821L0 1226.37H105.866L515.491 750.218L842.672 1226.37H1200L714.137 519.284H714.163ZM569.165 687.828L521.697 619.934L144.011 79.6944H306.615L611.412 515.685L658.88 583.579L1055.08 1150.3H892.476L569.165 687.854V687.828Z\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-facebook\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fcenters-and-facilities%2Fwallops%2Fnasa-c-130-makes-first-ever-flight-to-antarctica-for-gusto-balloon-mission%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M9 8h-3v4h3v12h5v-12h3.642l.358-4h-4v-1.667c0-.955.192-1.333 1.115-1.333h2.885v-5h-3.808c-3.596 0-5.192 1.583-5.192 4.615v3.385z\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-linkedin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fcenters-and-facilities%2Fwallops%2Fnasa-c-130-makes-first-ever-flight-to-antarctica-for-gusto-balloon-mission%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M4.98 3.5c0 1.381-1.11 2.5-2.48 2.5s-2.48-1.119-2.48-2.5c0-1.38 1.11-2.5 2.48-2.5s2.48 1.12 2.48 2.5zm.02 4.5h-5v16h5v-16zm7.982 0h-4.968v16h4.969v-8.399c0-4.67 6.029-5.052 6.029 0v8.399h4.988v-10.131c0-7.88-8.922-7.593-11.018-3.714v-2.155z\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-rss\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\/feed\/\" aria-label=\"Subscribe to RSS feed.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 800 800\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M493 652H392c0-134-111-244-244-244V307c189 0 345 156 345 345zm71 0c0-228-188-416-416-416V132c285 0 520 235 520 520z\"\/><circle cx=\"219\" cy=\"581\" r=\"71\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Oct 30, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\"><div class=\"grid-col-4\"><div class=\"subheading\">Editor<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-col-8\">Jamie Adkins<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\"><div class=\"grid-col-4\"><div class=\"subheading\">Contact<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-col-8\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-3\"><div>Olivia F. Littleton<\/div><div><a href=\"mailto:olivia.f.littleton@nasa.gov\">olivia.f.littleton@nasa.gov<\/a><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-row\"><div class=\"grid-col-4\"><div class=\"subheading\">Location<\/div><\/div><div class=\"grid-col-8\">Wallops Flight Facility<\/div><\/div>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2\"><h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2><\/div><ul class=\"article-tags\"><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wallops\/\">Wallops Flight Facility<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/aeronautics\/\">Aeronautics<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/aeronautics\/nasa-aircraft\/\">NASA Aircraft<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/missions\/scientific-balloons\/\">Scientific Balloons<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-articles\">\t\t<section class=\"hds-related-articles padding-x-0 padding-y-3 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"w-100 grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0 text-align-left\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-4\"><h2 style=\"max-width: 100%;\" class=\"width-full w-full maxw-full\">Explore More<\/h2><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/aeronautics\/research-model-increases-accuracy\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"192\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png 3953w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=300,192 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=768,491 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=1024,655 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=1536,983 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=2048,1310 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=400,256 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=600,384 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=900,576 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=1200,768 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/20230608-144923-nasa-ldg-full-model-ls.png?resize=2000,1280 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">4 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">Globetrotting NASA Research Model Increases Accuracy<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t15 hours ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/earth\/nasa-led-mission-to-map-air-pollution-over-both-u-s-coasts\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"157\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg 4246w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=300,157 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=768,401 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1024,535 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1536,802 1536w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=2048,1070 2048w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=400,209 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=600,313 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=900,470 900w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=1200,627 1200w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/8p1a5473.jpeg?resize=2000,1045 2000w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">2 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA-Led Mission to Map Air Pollution Over Both U.S. Coasts<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t3 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/wallops\/nasas-wallops-flight-facility-to-launch-student-experiments\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg 1041w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=400,267 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/wff-2023-068-004.jpg?resize=900,600 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">4 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">NASA\u2019s Wallops Flight Facility to Launch Student Experiments<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t3 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On Oct. 28, 2023, NASA\u2019s C-130 Hercules and crew safely touched down at McMurdo Station, Antarctica, after an around-the-globe journey to deliver the agency\u2019s Galactic\/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO). The United States research station, operated by the National Science Foundation, is host to NASA\u2019s Antarctic long-duration balloon campaign in which the GUSTO mission will take a scientific [...]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":522,"featured_media":557889,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"118","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":["522"],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"86724","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":["283567"],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2872,2660,2821,11402],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[],"coauthors":[12908],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"NASA C-130 Makes First-Ever Flight to Antarctica for GUSTO Balloon Mission","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/wallops\/nasa-c-130-makes-first-ever-flight-to-antarctica-for-gusto-balloon-mission\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/wallops\/nasa-c-130-makes-first-ever-flight-to-antarctica-for-gusto-balloon-mission\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg"},"articleSection":"NASA Centers & Facilities","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Olivia F. Littleton"}],"creator":["Olivia F. Littleton"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Missions","Scientific Balloons","Wallops Flight Facility","Aeronautics","NASA Aircraft"],"dateCreated":"2023-10-30T14:03:35Z","datePublished":"2023-10-30T14:03:35Z","dateModified":"2023-10-30T15:59:08Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"NASA C-130 Makes First-Ever Flight to Antarctica for GUSTO Balloon Mission\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/wallops\/nasa-c-130-makes-first-ever-flight-to-antarctica-for-gusto-balloon-mission\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg?w=150&h=150&crop=1\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2023-10-30T14:03:35Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA Centers & Facilities\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Missions,Scientific Balloons,Wallops Flight Facility,Aeronautics,NASA Aircraft\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"Olivia F. Littleton\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":4,"time_ago":"8 months","featured_image":{"id":557889,"file":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/20231028-181707.jpg","title":"NASA C-130 Delivers GUSTO Payload to Antarctica","alt":"The C-130 aircraft, a white plane with a blue strip down the side, sits on a snowy runway with a grey C-17 aircraft in the background.","caption":"NASA's Wallops Flight Facility C-130 aircraft delivered the agency\u2019s Galactic\/Extragalactic ULDB Spectroscopic Terahertz Observatory (GUSTO) payload to McMurdo Station, Antarctica, on Oct. 28, 2023. The GUSTO mission will launch on a scientific balloon in December 2023."},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549732"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/522"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=549732"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549732\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":558089,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/549732\/revisions\/558089"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/557889"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=549732"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=549732"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=549732"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=549732"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=549732"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}