Tres Volcanus “Team V” Conceptual Design Review Community College of Aurora Adam Kim Ian Jones Dani Strohmier 06/10/10

Mission Overview –Tres Volcanus is interested in analyzing samples collected from the stratosphere of sulfur dioxide particles. –Our group hopes to learn more about any effects, with relation to human life, due to volcanic eruptions. We hope to learn how far reaching ash particulates from volcanoes can be and how long particles from the ash can stay in the air.

–Our plan to collect stratospheric particulates is to use air filters exposed to the air. Inspiration came from the filters used in smoke stacks to filter out sulfur dioxide to meet basic clean air standards. The theory is the downward airflow due to the balloon’s lift will bombard the filters with particulate matter. Some filters will contain a spray on adhesive to trap more particulates. We will analyze the filters under a microscope to get an approximation of particle volume, or use a reactant to measure particulate matter.

–Our group became interested in this experiment because of the Icelandic volcano eruption that lasted a week and halted the majority of air travel over Europe in April. In researching other experiments, we came across a group that also launched a balloon in Larimer, Wyoming after the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in 1991 to study aerosol layers. Though the volcano erupted half a world away, the group did find an increase in sulfur dioxide. The only issue here was that they had no way to prove that the increases were from volcanic eruptions or from normal, man-made emissions.

There is also an Italian team using a balloon with a payload to analyze dust in the upper atmosphere. Their experiment is known as the DUSTER experiment, DUSTER standing for Dust in the Upper Stratosphere Tracking Experiment and Return. The DUSTER experiment is using carbon films and other machinery to collect samples in flight. There are no results for this experiment yet as it is ongoing.

Basic Mission Requirements

Concept of Operations Our payload will be a low rectangular box (we’ve yet to test dimensions, but do not expect them to exceed 10x6x6 in). The payload will be made of foam core and we will use a black foam material for insulating. The payload will have two square tubes passing through it with two filters glued in each. The second of the two filters will have a spray on adhesive to ensure particle matter will stay on the filter after the payload lands. We were concerned about air passing through the filters if both had the adhesive.

We are going to program a basic stamp to open and close two sliding hatches on each tube, one on the top and one on the bottom. The stamp will open them simultaneously after a certain amount of time (when the balloon is expected to reach the stratosphere, based on previous flights) and close them simultaneously after a certain amount of time (before the balloon is expected to burst, based on previous flights). The integral hardware (and therefore most of the mass) will be centrally located and designed to sit around the flight string. We will have the basic stamp, a heating system, 9v batteries for power, and one or two servos to operate the opening and closing of the hatches. When we recover the payload, we will take out the tubes with the filters to analyze at a later date.

Block Diagram

Subsystems Overview –We plan to interface the servos with the basic stamp. –The basic stamp will be operated on 9V batteries. –The heating system will be operated on 9V batteries. –The batteries will be kept insulated and near the heating system. –The stamp will be kept separate from the heating system.

Our essential design driver will be the samples collected from the filters. Our experiment relies on the theory that the downward flow of air will be enough to collect a sample on a filter that can be microscopically analyzed after the flight. We came up with this design for it’s simplicity. We need minimal hardware and we will not need to store any data. The only hardware that will be active are the stamps and the servos. The stamp will remain on the whole flight, and the servos are only active to open and close the hatches.

Parts List Team V will need: A basic stamp A heating system One or two servos 9V batteries Basic air filters Foam Core board Insulating materials

Team V already has a basic stamp supplied to us through CCA. We have 8 9V batteries donated to us, though we are researching how many we will need through the course of the experiment for testing and for the flight. We are researching servos and are not sure of how many we will need. We expect one or two shall suffice based on previous experiments where a servo was used. We are also researching heating systems, and air filters to use. We know the general cost for all materials needed. We are expecting to come in well under the $600 budget.

Management

DemoSat-B 2010 Summer Schedule Kick-Off Telecon6/8/2010 PDR Slides Due6/11/2010 Design Document Rev. A/B Due6/11/2010 PDR Teleconference 6/14/2010, 1:00pm MDT CDR Slides Due6/24/2010 CDR Teleconference 6/25/2010, 1:00 pm MDT Design Document Rev. C Due6/30/2010 Test Readiness Review 7/8/2010 First Full Mission Test Results Due 7/16/2010 LRR Slides Due7/26/2010 LRR (Boulder ??)7/30/2010 Launch7/31/2010 Design Document Rev. D (Final Reports) Due8/5/2010 On-Site VisitsTBA Official Schedule

Conclusions The major issue we can currently foresee is analyzing particulate matter once our payload returns from the air. We’ve yet to speak to our chemistry affiliate to determine how we can measure sulfur dioxide particles. Right now, we are focused on design and purchasing materials. Our school is on a buying freeze until July 1 st, but this will give us time to research all options. We anticipate more problems as we go along, but the idea of air filters to collect samples hasn’t been widely tested, so the issues we could be facing aren’t widely known.