Sunrise Multimedia Gallery

A. Sunrise telescope in hangar Click here or on the image to enlarge. The Sunrise telescope, mounted aboard its gondola, waits at the hangar door for the launch vehicle to arrive in the early morning hours before launch. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)	B. Sunrise telescope in hangar Click here or on the image to enlarge. A test version of the Sunrise telescope was used to avoid the possibility of damaging the one destined to fly over the Arctic and possibly Antarctic next year. The round lens cover of the telescope can be seen nestled in the center of its housing at the bottom center of the gondola. The lens cover was removed just before launch. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)
C. Sunrise gondola suspended from launch vehicle Click here or on the image to enlarge. Secure within its gondola, the Sunrise telescope hangs suspended from its crane-like launch vehicle at dawn. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)	D. Sunrise launch vehicle and telescope gondola Click here or on the image to enlarge. A project team member stands on the Sunrise launch vehicle at dawn, his outline dwarfed by the size of the telescope's gondola. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)
	E. Solar panels fitted to the gondola Click here or on the image to enlarge. Dummy solar panels (used in the test flight to avoid damaging the real ones) are fitted to the gondola in the early morning hours before launch. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)
F. "crushers" attached to gondola Click here or on the image to enlarge. Sunrise team members attach "crushers" to the gondola's frame. The crushers act as high-tech shock absorbers to protect the telescope on landing. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)	G. Sunrise at Sun rise Click here or on the image to enlarge. The Sun rises behind the silhouetted Sunrise telescope just prior to launch on October 3. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)
H. Preparing the parachute	Click here or on the image to enlarge. Sunrise team members kneel on a protective gray ground pad to attach the circular hoop end of the telescope's parachute (orange and gray stripes stretching back toward the launch vehicle) to the balloon (whose base is partially visible, inside a removable protective red sheath). (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)
I. Sunrise balloon Click here or on the image to enlarge. Slender hoses, blown into arcs by the wind, partially fill the balloon with helium before launch. A large portion of the balloon is left unfilled so it can expand as it ascends into the stratosphere, where air pressure is considerably lower. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)	J. Ascent Click here or on the image to enlarge. During ascent, the unfilled portion of the balloon looks like a long tether between the base of the filled portion and the top of the orange-striped parachute. A large portion of the balloon is left unfilled so it can expand as it ascends into the thinner air of the stratosphere. (Photo by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)
K. Balloon launch Click here or on the image to enlarge. The balloon rises into position for liftoff. (Photo by David Elmore, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)	L. Sunrise gondola carrying telescope Click here or on the image to enlarge. The gondola carrying the Sunrise telescope rises from the launch vehicle just moments after liftoff. (Photo by David Elmore, ©UCAR. News media terms of use*)
M. Composite image of the Sun This composite image of the Sun was taken during the Sunrise test flight. It is made from 2,000 images taken over a two-minute period.	N. Composite image including tracking path The composite image, made from 2,000 images taken during the Sunrise test flight, shows the path of instrument tracking.

Videos
M. Animation of Sunrise: A Balloon-borne Observatory for High Resolution Solar Observations in Visible and Ultraviolet Light Click here or on the image to play. This animation depicts the balloon and gondola, with 1-meter solar telescope aboard, flying on a full-scale research flight. It includes proposed Arctic and Antarctic flight paths, illustrations of high-resolution solar images that the telescope may obtain, and the gondola's descent with a parachute. (Animation by Steven Deyo, ©UCAR.)	O. Sunrise launch video Click here or on the image to play. This ground-based video shows the launch of the test flight on October 3, 2007, at the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico. (Video by Carlye Calvin, ©UCAR.)
P. Balloon cutdown and parachute deployment. Click here or on the image to play. An onboard video camera shows the gondola being cut from the balloon and the parachute deploying. The rim of Earth is visible at times at the right edge of the screen. (Video courtesy NASA and NCAR.)	Q. View of Earth from the Sunrise balloon Click here or on the image to play. An onboard video camera shows Earth's surface. The balloon, about two hours into flight, is cruising at about 120,000 feet over the U.S. Southwest. (Video courtesy NASA and NCAR.)

*News media reproduction to illustrate this story and nonprofit use permitted with proper attribution as provided above and acceptance of UCAR's terms of use. Find more images in the UCAR Digital Image Library.

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