BTS-1 The Recovery

Here is what Skye, Fuzz and I had decided. We had one cupcake left but instead of eating it, we decided to just eat a little bit off the top, which is the best part anyways and then leave the rest. Why? Well, so when our rescue team found us, they knew that we left the capsule not because of hunger, but because we were bored. Plus that's what our note we left behind said too...

In other words, we decided to find a way to Port Arthur, TX. We head heard that the Janis Joplin museum was there.

While all of this was happening, the Fish and Wildlife team decided to use the BTS-1 Inspiration rescue operation as part of their annual training. So on Thursday they flew over the swamp around the last coordinates our ground team had provided and they actually spotted our red parachute. In fact, that's not the only thing they spotted...

Then on Friday early morning a  U.S. Fish and Wildlife Rescue team assembled at the Sabine Wildlife station. The wonderful Pat Reiff from Rice University and Discovery Dome assisted the team. She got up early, drove all the way out there and was a big help to the crew. The team assembled all the needed equipment and pretty much hit the road.

Well, once they arrived at a location they could get the airboats into the swamp, it really happened quick. Except when the airboats had to "fly" over grass. That slowed them down. Amazing how these boats work.

So they arrived at our site and they retrieved our Inspiration capsule, the parachute and the left over pieces from the balloon.

So because of the note we left at the landing site, the rescue team knew to come to Port Author and find us there. And they did track us well. We visited the museum and signed our names in their guestbook and then we went across the street to get some cupcakes. It sure was a great way.

And being found now also meant that we could finally start telling our BTS-1 story. And a press/media conference was scheduled for Saturday, May 14, 2011. 

Question 1: Rick McLastnom Yay! Welcome back! I'd like to know what the dosimeter showed. 

Thank you Rick. You truly deserved to win the capsule naming contest. Inspiration was perfect and she flew as designed. To answer your question. We had a dosimiter on board? I must refer to MS1 for this!

Question 2 from Emmanuel Kool Azubuike, which turns out not to be a question after all "No question dude!"

These are the easy ones to process!

Question 3: Lourdes Quintana Couceiro Mauriceasked when the crew is coming back to DC (at least that's what we believe the question is/was?)

The entire BTS-1 crew will be in Washington DC on June 18, 2011 for the National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution "Become a Pilot Day". We will be displaying our BTS-1 "Inspiration Capsule", meet kids, pose for pictures and check out other airplanes. We also hope to do a few additional tours around DC while there.

Question 4: Siria Gardi-Montebugnoli wants to know "What are the lessons learnt from this mission and what changes will be applied accordingly to BTS-2? Thank you."

Siria! What a great question. Many lessons were learned on this mission. Most importantly, what you can't predict, you can't prevent. So planning is very important. There will be some amazing changes to BTS-2. We can't give you too much information at this time, but think of BTS-1 being an Apollo style mission with a capsule and a parachute. Now think about Shuttle style for BTS-2.

Question 5: Duane Hyland: Fuzz, do you feel that your mission and your survival in the swamp are a product of your solid Johnstown toughness? And, a follow-up - what message do you have for the people Johnstown, who are currently going through some hard times. Thank you. Welcome back!

I believe my Johnstown origins played a part in my survival, but my training and a great crew were the biggest aspect. I would tell the people of Johnstown to stay strong, and that anyone can make a difference

Question 6: Virma Johannsen "Can you please tell us if and when we can expect to see BTS-2. Additionally, will the original team have the "big bang orbs" to do it again after their ordeal in the swamps? And finally, what happened to Trigger MMS, was there "horse-play" involved which resulted in the swamp landing? 

Thank you Virma for following us. We can't release too much information on BTS-2 just yet. But this will be something that has never been done before. Think of it as a Space Shuttle style balloon mission. There will be some big challenges to be overcome. But we can do it. 

The time in the swamp was fun. It was like a camping trip. We trained well for this. What happened to Trigger? Trigger is so fast, he travels the speed of light. Once we blew the hatch open, he was out.

Question 7: Beth Hatch Maschmeier Did the crew have survival training and was it useful ? Did they get many mosquito bites while in the swamps? Will the crew have an R&R period before returning to the job?

We had extensive survival training for many possible scenarios. We will take a few days to relax and review the mission data. We were well protected from the mosquitoes in the swamp (fortunately!)

Question 8: Our dear friend Patti Barrett wants to know "How bumpy was the ride?"

Patti - the flight was pretty smooth. The launch was amazingly nice. There were some patches it was a little more rough. At some point I looked at the instrument panel and saw we were doing over 130 mph. Fuzz was a great pilot and kept us in pretty good shape. Sometimes it's difficult to judge if you are upside down or not inside that capsule. The footage will show how rough or not it really was. Can't wait to see the footage and then share it with you.

Question 9: Allan Dimmel: Welcome back . I'm glad you made it safe from your mission Also.I would like to take this time to apologize to Mission Specialist SkyeBleu for misspelling your name . My question: What was your highest altitude and how long was Inspiration flying before your landing in the Sabine National Wildlife refuge ?

Thank you, Allan. I'm sure Skye understands that her name can sometimes be tricky to spell. Our highest recorded altitude was about 78,000 feet, but we lost telemetry for about 15 minutes. We will review the data and see if we possibly got a higher altitude. Our flight time was about 3 hours.

Question 10 from Gladys Georgina Santos "How come "E.T." was able to phone home but none of the BTS-1 crew had a cell phone on them or bothered to ask to use a phone while they were at the museum, the bakery, so they could contact the rescue team. Q2: I also share V's interest in wanting to know what happened to horsey Trigger MMS. Did he "bail" out on the mission?"

Gladys, we would have to watch the movie E.T. again. Maybe we could do that tonight. I don't remember the exact specifics but I don't think ET was in a swamp and they had tons of equipment to built some sort of phone. Speaking of E.T. you know that our BTS-1 mission poster, designed byDennis Bonilla was inspired by the E.T. movie? Why we didn't contact anyone? Well, we left a note at the landing site and we decided to go and find some food and enjoy the museum. We knew they would catch up with us. We don't walk all that fast. 

In regards to Trigger MMS - we still have to look for him and get his debrief.

Question 11: Bari Demers How do you feel?

We are very tired from our days in the swamp, but we are very excited about the success of our mission. We all would like to thank you for your amazing support from the beginning

Question 12: Patti Barrett "'all cleaned up nicely. You look awesome after spending all that time in the swamp. What an ordeal."

We were a little dirty and stinky. But nothing that cannot be cleaned. I think Skye looks the best!

Twitter Question: Baby_Beau_Bear Was there ever a time that you gave up hope on being rescued?

We knew that our team is great and did their best to prepare us for the mission. It was stressful, but we were patient and knew we would find a way out.

BTS-1 While the Crew is MIA (Missing in Action)

You know what is so amazing? While Fuzz, Skye and I had so much fun inside the Louisiana swamp, our ground team put together a BTS Guestbook. And people left some of the most amazing messages of support for us! Just so heartwarming. Thank you all. If you want to read them all, here is the link to the Bears On Patrol BTS-1 Guestbook.

Here are just a few of the messages I wanted to share with you and some images from the Wildlife Refuge.


Name: Ed Van Cise (Carbon Flight)
From: Houston, Texas
To the crew of BTS-1:
From the folks at the Christopher C. Kraft Mission Control Center in Houston, we wish you the very best and are hopeful for a safe and speedy recovery. After experiencing the pins and needles of waiting to hear from the Expedition 6 crew after they performed a ballistic entry in their Soyuz, I can tell you that we understand what the BTS community is going through and cannot wait to hear of your safe recovery and to hear your tales of these past few days.
To your recovery team - we wish you success and safety in your work. Also, your recovery updates do a tremendous job explaining the preparations this crew has undergone for this type of contingency and how those are similar to the training undergone by astronauts and cosmonauts around the world. Thank you for sharing this with people. All the best to the steely-eyed crew of BTS-1; hope to see you at Boon's soon!


Name: @esaoperations
From: Darmstadt, Germany
To the brave crew of #BTS-1!
Camilla, Skye, Fuzz: You dudes rock!
Regardless of all that survival training you astros get, we know it's gonna come down to a simple question of strength of will vs. Mother Nature (aka LA swampland). Since, in fact, you three are stuffed/rubber, we're pretty sure finding rations won't be an issue - so HANG in there! And best wishes to the Recovery Team from all of us here at ESA Operations!


Name: Suzanne
From: Arlington, VA
We're all wishing all of you well - the crew of BTS-1 and the support and rescue crews. We're quite certain that Camilla is chicken scratching all of her tweets on the inside of the Inspiration capsule, so that a complete record of the mission is kept (and the screenplay will be ready for the BTS-1 movie!) Godspeed, all!

From here on the ground team could only travel by boat.
Gators in the water. 

Name: Rachel Howe
 From: Sheffield, England
Best wishes for a safe return! This is turning out to be more of an adventure than anyone expected, but I hope you'll be home -- and telling us all about it -- soon.

Name: Robyn Villavecchia
  From: Petaluma, CA

Camilla is my inspiration, who keeps me young and stokes the fires of knowledge and science.
Be safe, my friend.

Name: Tim and Moby
  From: Internetland

Hoping you guys make it home soon. We appreciate your efforts to sacrifice yourselves in the name of science! Moby says, "Beep."

Name: Leanne D (Launchchasersis)
   From: Flooded Manitoba Canada

Camilla, Fuzz and Skye. I know your training has kicked in and the cupcake supply is running low. But you will be OK, cuz I need to see you at STS 135. Keep the faith, as your handlers dedication to you and your mission is truly an "Inspiration"

Name: Anthony Coiner
     From: Boise, ID

I wish you all the best in finding our friends. They've become such great icons for everyone they've come in contact with and the work they've done so far is fantastic. I'm sure you're doing your level best to find them. Best of luck in doing so.

About to go "on land" the first time. 

Name: Jeanette Dunphy
      From: Kilcoy, Queensland, Australia

I love you guys, looking forward to hearing about your big adventure.
Hope you're staying safe.
xox

Name: Eico
       From: Frankfurt, Germany

To all of the BTS-1 Team: Keep up the spirit!
This is an awesome mission and like Romeo said: In everything that goes wrong in the first place lies knowledge for the second try!
You all rule!

Name: Aaron Herridge
     From: Houston, TX

BTS-1 Crew,
I am one of the students at University of Houston - Downtown who assisted with your launch. I would like to say that it was my honor to be a part of your "Inspiration" mission, and I can attest to the fact that you have certainly inspired thousands with your courage and dedication to the promotion of science.
I, along with your other thousands of supporters, wait in anxious anticipation for word of your recovery from the swamps of Sabine Lake in Southwestern Louisiana.
I hope that you will consider me an eager volunteer to assist with any future launches you have, and I hope the Greater Houston Area will be considered for future missions.
Most Sincerely,
Aaron D. Herridge

Not easy to move. Add the mosquitos, the smell and the gator nests to the mix,
and you have yourself an adventure. 

Name: Shelley Cherkowski
      From: Vancouver BC

Hope the cupcakes have held out. This is only one mission. We need you all to continue your important work highlighting science, space, and peace. You are the best ambassadors. Hang in there.
If desire alone could lift you out of that swamp then the power of your recovery team and your fans would have you propelled high enough to be having coffee with Astro_Ron right now.

Name: Shannon (@ageekmom) & Family
       From: San Antonio, TX

As a lifelong supporter and fan of spaceflight and exploration, I have learned to accept that with great achievements also come occasionally great disappointments and losses. Whatever the fate of the BTS-1 crew, Camilla, Fuzz & Skye, the mission and spirit of these explorers will live on to inspire current and future generations. The future doesn't belong to the faint-hearted, it belongs to the brave!
We continue to hope we will hear Camilla's SQUACK again, hug Fuzz's soft fur (once he's had a couple decontaminating showers), and meet Skye. If not, we feel the loss keenly but will strive to keep their memory alive.

Name: Happpiii
         From: Norway!

Please hurry home! The cupcakes we bought for the recovery celebration are getting stale!

Name: Katrina (Astro_yyz)
          From: Toronto

Challenges are inherent in spaceflight and balloon flights. Through trials, adventures, errors and sleepless nights comes knowledge. From bug infested swamps comes fortitude, and from this adventure you will find strength and bravery you never knew you had with your friends.
Stay strong, help each other and we will see you soon.

Name: Tim Bailey
            From: Washington, DC (a mostly dry part of planet Earth)

Thanks to the Recovery Team for all of your hard work and dedication to locating and rescuing the BTS-1 crew! No matter what, we know you did your best.
To the BTS-1 crew, wherever you are: Thank you for making science so much fun and engaging so many of us around the world. We appreciate your hard work and sacrifice. We are still rooting for you!

Name: @QuarkSpin
            From: Alabama (The Beautiful)

A big shout out to the Recovery Team for working so hard to locate the BTS-1 crew. Sometimes it's hard to stay focused when the whole social media universe is watching you.
To Camilla and the rest of the BTS-1 crew: thank you for engaging the public and drawing them back to science and exploration. My best hope is that you'll be rescued and can add this chapter to your ongoing adventures.

On to the next location. 

Name: Karen Pierson
              From: New Jersey

Your mission is truly an "Inspiration"! Thank you for all that you are doing to raise awareness on the importance of space exploration. I hope that the crew can be found soon so that they can go on to the next mission (after a well deserved vacation, of course). I love what you are doing and it makes me want to get involved! I'm thinking of sending my teddy, Baby Beau, to space camp : )Come home BTS1!

Name: Robert
               From: Louisiana

Look forward to hearing the outcome and hope they find ya'll. Love the idea behind your mission and hope it isn't the last of it's kind.

Name: Joel Glickman
                From: Troy, NY, USA, Earth, Solar System, Milky Way

We are all inspired by this incredible journey. We also knew that Inspiration would be located due to the Recovery Team's tireless efforts. Your mission has touched the hearts and minds of many a space enthusiast and touched the imagination of many children. Hats off to the very dedicated team behind this mission. The added drama will only serve to fuel the movie script.
JFK once said: "We do not do these things because they are easy, but because they are hard."

Name: Gene Mikulka
                  From: Morris County, New Jersey

Congrats to the BTS-1 Crew for boldly going where no program mascots have gone before. Camila, Fuzz Aldrin and Skye Bleu gave well deserved attention to the programs that they represented. Mission Accomplished!

Name: Dennis Bonilla
                   From: Washington, DC

Wonderful news about the recovery of the capsule. Can't wait to hear how the data is analyzed and join in future science efforts. Bravo team!

One of the ground rescue workers - mosquito marks clearly visible.