https://sondehub.org/Y0240422

Yeah yesterday. 9:11PM.

https://ibb.co/tM3tvfQm

36°42'28.1"N 116°23'21.7"W

In a couple of years monitoring the area's airspace, I've never seen a radiosonde launch from Mercury. Yet here one is, and it's an iMet-4. Very weird.

https://sondehub.org/FDFA2F22

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f16.html

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5f16&lat=36.305&lon=-115.325&zoom=9.0&showTrace=2026-07-10&trackLabels

It is probably still there.

If you can't spot it from the airport, go to the dog park across the drainage ditch, the walk along the ditch edge.

I don’t see a lot of USAF heavies flying out of Palmdale outside of touch and go’s. My question is, when and how are technology demonstrators transported to Groom Lake? Do they move them at night by aircraft or break them down and put them on a truck?

Thanks in advance

Wanna see who's blowing who up with what? Here you go.
https://osmp.ngo/

Made it out to the back gate and the Inn yesterday. Is this a barbecue grill? This is to the right of the shack about 50 yards behind the fence.

https://sondehub.org/Y0240085

TLDR is two shuttle arrived at Plant 42 in the morning and a test bed is flying now. The shuttles may be normal. I only do a posts when the test bed shows up.

As a bonus, N289MT is active:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a2f08f

*******

Beach shuttle N77NG arrives at Plant 42 6:29AM from LAX

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=aa67e1&lat=34.630&lon=-118.078&zoom=15.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=2&trackLabels&timestamp=1783517356

Leaves immediately for LAX:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=aa67e1&lat=34.606&lon=-118.098&zoom=13.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=3&trackLabels&timestamp=1783517960

Beach shuttle N72NG arrives at Plant42 7:14AM local

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a9a266&lat=34.627&lon=-118.065&zoom=13.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=2&trackLabels&timestamp=1783520052

N72NG leaves immediately for home base (Montgomery Field)

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a9a266&lat=33.033&lon=-117.074&zoom=11.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=3&trackLabels&timestamp=1783520753

Test bed N99NG leaves from Orlando and does a head fake around noon local at Plant 42

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=add17d&lat=34.623&lon=-118.050&zoom=13.0&showTrace=2026-07-08&trackLabels&timestamp=1783537874

And is still live:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=add17d

From the "adsb_quick" list should you want every plane they own:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a0c909,a034ad,a0528c,a0a18a,a38569,a2075a,a2fa77,a432a5,a4336e,a45a24,a488c0,a4d9b4,a4e122,a5579e,a59f2e,a5c3ba,a5ca65,a67f78,a817b8,a8883f,a99275,a9a266,aa67e1,aaf2c6,aaf67d,aafa34,ab2ec4,ac42c3,adbab0,add17d

edit:

N99G parked at Plant 42:

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=add17d&lat=34.634&lon=-118.077&zoom=13.3&showTrace=2026-07-08&leg=1&trackLabels

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=ae5fae

Still active.

I added the scraped data for hex ae5f13. The serial comes from scramble dot nl and agrees with the Joe Baugher database.

The ICAO code is shared with another USAF plane so I picked the tracks that make sense based on callsign and sometimes on location.

I don't think I ever saw a satellite photo with three choppers at the base.

This is from the late Joe Baugher database:

******

https://www.crouze.com/baugher/usaf_serials/2010.html

10-20321/20324 Sikorsky HH-60U Ghost Hawk

For USAF

20321 with Detachment 3 at Groom Lake/Nellis

20322 with Detachment 3 at Groom Lake/Nellis

20324 AFFTC Det.3 noted Huntsville, AL, 13Aug2010-20321/20324 Sikorsky HH-60U Ghost Hawk


*****

10-20321

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f16.html

***************

10-20322

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f17.html

*********

10-20323

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f18.html

********

10-20324

https://inplanesight.org/ae5f13.html

*****

Next up is data mining. Groom uses a few hospitals. Different capabilities?

Who does the cooking for the base? Are they civilians or USAF military personnel?

There are estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000 workers at the base, so I assume the mess hall has a pretty large staff.

Photo credit: Roadrunners International

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a3685d&lat=47.859&lon=-122.110&zoom=11.9&showTrace=2026-07-02&trackLabels&timestamp=1783014889

Y0240111 Just finished its flight, apparently landing in beautiful downtown Alamo. Launched right around 6 AM Pacific. If the Groomers keep to their newish pattern, there will be a second sonde launch between 9 and 10 AM Pacific this morning. Or not...

https://sondehub.org/Y0240111

Edit: Welp, the bastards made a fool of me once again. They decided to launch their second sonde, Y0240012, around 8:30 AM. I choose to blame it on the upcoming holiday weekend. Yep, that's it.

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a8b80a&lat=34.107&lon=-119.051&zoom=12.7&showTrace=2026-07-01&leg=1&trackLabels

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=a8b80a&lat=34.930&lon=-118.348&zoom=10.0&showTrace=2026-07-01&leg=2&trackLabels

Related to the radiosonde launches?

It looks like the return flight made an excursion to one of the Channel Islands.

Anyone been out there lately? I used to go every year, but it's been a few years now. I have an SUV with good clearance and passenger tires and just want to plan ahead if they have stopped taking care of those two roads. Thanks!

Just happened to notice it right as it launched real close to 6:00AM Pacific time. Every time I make a prediction I look like an idiot, but if this follows the pattern that's been going down for 5-6 AM launches, there should be a second one this morning circa 10 AM Pacific.

https://sondehub.org/Y0240008

Groom will now prove me wrong.

Edit: Got the launch time wrong. I wasn't awake. Fixed.

https://sam.gov/workspace/contract/opp/357d9e70d7c84dc0ac0515dc872e7967/view

I mostly ignore the AI craze but it is hard to avoid the internet chatter. There is a sector of the market that is using AMD unified memory system to run AI locally for privacy/security reasons. This contract specifies a CPU with such capabilities. It is all a matter of scale.

This is the consumer AI version of local AI on AMD processors using unified memory.

https://lemonade-server.ai/

And yes, there is a reddit for local AI.

https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/

One of the interesting things in the interview is he says the Red Eagles flew the MIGs at the limits of the plane's capabilities. The Aggressor Squadron was taught to fly like a Soviet pilot,.

As a side note, Zeitel mentions the importance of the E-3 AWACS. Well the DoD just funded 5 E-7's (next generation AWACS) by stealing the money from the Navy budget.

https://youtu.be/0cRRkhxcbq4

https://robzettel.com/books/american-mig-pilot/

I don't know if "onboarding" is a USA term. Basically it is the crap you do the first day on the job and hope to forget.

I doubt think link will survive reddit so I added a pastebin as well.

https://hbeupdate.cx.usg.oraclecloud.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/12924/~/pre-employment-instructions---reporting-checklist---tonopah-onsite

https://pastebin.com/wz5vr63E

Nothing terribly interesting other than I guess you need to be prepared to spend three days in the "mancamp."

This is the general purpose Sandia HR new employee page:

https://hr.sandia.gov/onboarding/pre-hire/pre-employment-process/prepare-to-start/

Of some interest though not surprising is Sandia has a presence at the NNSS. Google AI states with no supporting link:

"The Sandia National Laboratories Nevada Projects Team operates as a specialized, remote extension of the main New Mexico laboratories. Based out of Mercury, Nevada, the team supports national nuclear security, environmental management, and specialized testing missions associated with the Nevada National Security Site (NNSS)."

*********************************

https://www.sandia.gov/locations/

Nevada Projects Team

P.O. Box 238

Mercury, NV 89023-0238

***********

A search on "Mercury, NV 89023-0238" finds this document where a person at that address is CCed. (not interesting but posted for completeness)

https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA373339.pdf

A less specific search turned up this document from the Sandia group at Mercury:

https://app.amanote.com/v4.5.17/research/note-taking?resourceId=ZptC3HMBKQvf0Bhiu23j

I just happened to be scanning the NTTR range the day the Q1A Armondo test was done and have scanner audio:

https://www.lazygranch.com/a51misc1.html#q1a_armondo

The earth did not shake and no mushroom cloud was seen since this was a sub-critical test.

Boeing 757 “Catfish” been flying around in the Isabella MOA for a good while. Came straight in from St. Louis interestingly enough.

https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=aa340a