Caption
Pre-flight preparation of the PILOT gondola at the Alice Springs balloon launch base in Australia. Hoisted aloft by a high-altitude balloon on 16 and 17 April 2017, in near-interstellar vacuum conditions, PILOT was controlled in real time by a time of scientists, who were able to collect signals normally blocked by the Earth's atmosphere. This invaluable data will provide new insights into the history of the universe.
