Lift off for GUSTO from the launch pad at Ross Ice Shelf near McMurdo, Antarctica.

University of Arizona professor Christopher Walker, principal investigator of the GUSTO scientific ballon mission, reports from the U.S National Science Foundation's McMurdo Station Research Base, Antarctica that  GUSTO’s integrated gondola and payload is currently ascending at flight altitude of approximately 120,000 feet and instrument calibrations are underway to study the interstellar space – the matter between the stars – using far infrared detectors. The mission is a joint effort between the University of Arizona, NASA and APL. Congratulations to the GUSTO team!

More information about this mission can be found on NASA's website. Using GPS data you can find where GUSTO is located right now here.