EVA 4. First Launch of a Balloon while in an EVA

The study of the upper atmosphere on Mars can be accomplished using high altitude balloons, just as is done on Earth. NASA has been studying this possibility fort several years.

During human missions to the Red Planet, astronauts can manually launch those balloons, so we wanted to know how difficult it is, while wearing space suits, to prepare, fill and launch a radiosonde. This was accomplished today, when the crew launched for the first time a high altitude balloon, while wearing space suits.
Some new techniques had to be developed so the crew could prepare and inflate, and close the balloon with the encumbrance of the thick space suit gloves.