Last month Pilot went to outer space. Well, not exactly,
but one of our shipments did! You may have heard about Alan Eustace, the Google
executive that recently broke the sound barrier, as well as breaking many free
falling records. As part of a project by Paragon Space Development Corp. and
its Stratospheric Explorer (StratEx) team, Eustace took a helium-filled
scientific balloon 135,000 feet above southern New Mexico before free falling
for approximately 4.5 minutes, landing nearly 70 miles from his launch point.
With this project, Eustace and his team hoped to design a
system that would allow humans to explore the stratosphere as easily and safely
as they do the ocean. Understanding the groundbreaking implications of this
experiment, Pilot Freight Services District Manager Gustavo Ceballos and his
team imported the balloon from where it was developed in India, all the way to
Phoenix, AZ for the first leg of its shipment. Then, Pilot continued the
delivery to its final destination in Rosewell, NM, where it arrived safely.
From there, knowing that the balloon had been kept safe in transport, the Pilot
team eagerly anticipated Eustace’s mission.
Eustace’s success is something Pilot is incredibly proud
to have been a part of and interacting with him and his team was a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Transporting fragile,
critical cargo is something we do every day at Pilot. Whether it’s medical
equipment, a big screen TV, or a scientific helium-filled balloon, we believe
that our attention to detail, professionalism, and excellence in customer care
has prepared us to tackle any challenge.
The success of Eustace’s stratospheric mission has opened
the door for future human endeavors and explorations of the earth’s
stratosphere, and we at Pilot couldn't be more proud and honored to have played
such a crucial role in this accomplishment.
A video of Alan Eustace’s mission can be found here.
