Final Presentation Nick Hoffmann Miranda Rohlfing Geoff Morgan Miles Buckman Lauren Wenner Rahul Devnani December 5, 2006

Mission Overview - Objective Our team’s mission is to send a balloon satellite to an altitude of 100,000 feet in order to have it 1) Take still photographs 2) Make a digital recording of the flight 3) Measure the radiation levels of the upper atmosphere.

Mission Overview - Goals What we hope to accomplish is: 1) Obtain a visual record of near space and Earth from high altitude. 2) Discover how the radiation levels change at higher altitudes.

Mission Overview - Flight The flight was very successful overall. All of our components worked as intended and we obtained valuable results. The digital video camera took over an hour of flight footage The still camera used all of its exposures and returned amazing photographs.

Design – Block Diagram Radiation Badges Video Camera Power (23A) Timing Circuit Still Camera Switch Heater Power (9V) Switch HOBO Int. Humidity Int. Temperature External Temperature Dosimeter

We flew two cameras and three different radiation sensors along with the standard equipment Both cameras functioned properly and returned outstanding footage of the flight The radiation equipment survived with room to spare, but data has not yet been received. The experiment was designed to measure low- orbit radiation in order to compare it with that of ground level radiation Design – Experiment

Structure- 18 x 18 x 18 (cm) 555 timer- 4 x 6 x 0.1 HOBO- 6 x 2 x 4 Batteries- 4 x 4 x 1 Radiation sensors- 8 x 6 x 0.1 Still camera- 8 x 6 x 4 Heater- 4 x 4 x 1 Video camera- 4 x 3 x 1

RFP Compliance Mass– we were slightly over the allotted 800g, ≈870g Video Camera- the video camera was changed to look at Earth rather than the balloon Structure- the box was not painted as there was no need Testing- the satellite was not vacuum tested Experiments- the pressure sensor was not flown All other requirements were met

Results and Analysis - HOBO The HOBO had a faulty external temperature sensor that needed to be replaced. Predicted external temperature values were in the realm of -60°C The internal temperature followed predicted highs and lows

Results and Analysis - Cameras Video length 58 minutes of flight time; the extreme cold drained the power from the batteries. The culprit is suspected to be a panel that sealed off the camera from the rest of the satellite The still camera took pictures every 3 minutes and took its last photograph at about 80,000 feet

The Continental Divide

Sun and Earth from approximately 70,000 feet

Last photo taken at about 80,000 feet

Results and Analysis - Radiation Unfortunately our radiation data was lost by the postal system and was not returned to Global Dosimetry for development. The radiation level was expected to increase exponentially as the altitude increased Altitude Radiation Level

Ready to Fly - Correction Video Camera -Change batteries -Remove extra panel -Move the heater closer HOBO -Change the HOBO -Use a different external temperature probe.

Ready to Fly - Storage Temperature extremes, direct sunlight, moisture, etc. should all be avoided during storage The batteries and film inside the components should be removed and reinstalled prior to launch None of the components will wear out if unused New badges should be kept in the shipping material until use

Ready to Fly - Activation One side panel should be left open to activate the video camera After the video camera is activated the open side needs to be sealed with aluminum tape. Right before launch the two switches that control the heater and still camera should be activated The radiation sensors do not require activation

Conclusions The time required to build and test a functioning satellite is roughly one month with six team members taking an average of 15 credit hours All electronics should be protected by the satellite structure as much as possible, even if cameras have to be tucked inside the box Since two cameras were required for this satellite, the mass limit should be increased to allow for sufficient space for other experiments

Lessons Learned Choose a simple design and structure Be interested in your experiment Be thorough in testing Team work is essential and necessary Contingency plans should be made whenever possible Continuously communicate with all partners, team members and companies alike

Message to Next Semester Start as soon as possible Do not aim to high- be realistic Research experiments as much as possible Get a car with a lot of room and fill it to get a GPS on the chase. Try to avoid oncoming semis