This is the official logo of the TIGER instrument launch, 2001-2002. TIGER was launched onboard a balloon in December 2001 and landed back in Antarctica in January 2002. Click on image for full size (48K JPEG) Courtesy of NASA in collaboration with Washington University, Caltech and the University of Minnesota

The balloon carrying TIGER was launched from McMurdo Station, Antarctica. TIGER stands for the Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder experiment. The balloon rose to an altitude of approximately 125,000 feet (38,100 meters). The inflated balloon at this point was about 424 feet (129 meters) in diameter and over 555 feet high!

For the 31 days, the balloon permitted TIGER to search for the origin of galactic cosmic rays, atomic particles that travel through the galaxy at near light-speeds and shower the Earth constantly. "The importance of TIGER is that it is the first experiment that has both sufficient collecting power and adequate resolution to measure abundances of all nuclei from iron through zirconium," said TIGER Principal Investigator Robert Binns, Washington University. "This will enable us to determine whether the cosmic-ray source is hot or cold, gas or solid. We have already seen in our quick-look analysis of flight data that Tiger's resolution is sufficient to resolve those nuclei."

This is the official logo of the TIGER instrument launch, 2001-2002. TIGER was launched onboard a balloon in December 2001 and landed back in Antarctica in January 2002. Click on image for full size (48K JPEG) Courtesy of NASA in collaboration with Washington University, Caltech and the University of Minnesota

The balloon carried the TIGER instrument, which stands for the Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder experiment. TIGER was studying galactic cosmic rays, thousands and thousands of which strike the Earth's atmosphere every second!

The balloon that carried TIGER up into the air was helium-filled. You may have gotten a helium-filled, foil balloon for your birthday once, but TIGER's balloon was made of thin polyethylene material, which is about the same thickness as ordinary sandwich wrap. Isn't it cool that this balloon could complete two orbits around the South Pole before it had to land!?

This is the official logo of the TIGER instrument launch, 2001-2002. TIGER was launched onboard a balloon in December 2001 and landed back in Antarctica in January 2002. Click on image for full size (48K JPEG) Courtesy of NASA in collaboration with Washington University, Caltech and the University of Minnesota

The balloon was made of a material that is only as thick as sandwich wrap! But, it was in the air for over 31 days and circled twice around Antarctica! Cool!

Be sure to check out the questions below that other kids had about this balloon and Antarctica.