Daniel Sayle, Katie Thompson, Anna McLeland, Sarah Kemp, Patrick Byrne 11/30/10 TEAM MUNCHIES FINAL PRESENTATION

MISSION OVERVIEW The purpose of the balloon satellite Astraios was to test whether or not red algae (gracilaria) could survive the harsh environment of near space at an altitude of approximately 30,500 meters or 100,000 feet. We expected to prove that even in harsh conditions algae could survive therefore making it an viable option for space colonization and terraforming as a sustainable source of oxygen

DESIGN OVERVIEW Final Design

DESIGN OVERVIEW How it worked: Heater was turned on by a switch Camera was turned on by a switch and programmed to take photos every 20 seconds Two HOBOs were set to record temperature, humidity, and pressure during flight What we changed from the original design: Removed two exterior boxes Made overall structure smaller Added interior wall to separate electronics from the experiment to prevent water damage

FUNCTIONAL BLOCK DIAGRAM

FLIGHT RECAP Team Munchies verified transportation and rode to launch and recovery in teammate Katie Thompson’s van. Patrick Byrne was selected to hold the satellite during launch via a round of “nose goes.” The balloon went up without complication, and the team rushed back to the van to set up the tracking station. A very dusty county road led to the landing site, and permission was quickly attained for the class to trek onto the land that contained the satellites. Through a ravine, under barbed wire fences, and across a creek the class journeyed to find the satellites upon a hilltop. Team Munchies’ satellite was in very good shape, and landed on its side, causing the unsealed samples to leak somewhat. The camera was also jarred during the landing and the Velcro holding the HOBOs in place had come unstuck. The team then quickly opened the satellite to look at the pictures taken by the camera and to remove and observe the algae samples. After, recording some cursory observations, the samples were placed in a container of water so that they would not experience different conditions on the way back to the ITLL. Upon return to Boulder the samples were weighed and observed under the microscope

FLIGHT PHOTOS

EXPECTED RESULTS Based on our results from testing the algae, we expect that the algae sample that is pressurized and kept relatively warm will survive the extreme conditions best. The sample that is unpressurized and exposed to the extreme cold conditions is expected to fare the worst. Algae samples that did not survive are expected to exhibit a loss of red color and a lack of cellular structure. Note: Expected results were based off testing of botryocladia not gracilaria

ACTUAL RESULTS Exterior Sample Interior Sample Deliberately Killed Sample Conditio ns Exterior/ Unseal Interior/ Unseal Exterior/ Unseal Interior/ Sealed Exterior/ Sealed Control

ACTUAL RESULTS Key: Blue – Before Flight Red – After Flight

ANALYSIS Two control samples lost 36.4% and 17% of their masses. The 36.44% change could be seen as an outlying statistic compared to a future control sample which also lost roughly 18% of its mass. The heated and pressure sealed samples lost 30.7 and 40.1 percent of their mass, making them obviously negatively harmed by the short flight. The interior unsealed samples lost an average of 26.5% of their mass. The exterior sealed samples lost an average of 21.47% of their mass. The exterior unsealed samples lost only 23.3% and 9.2% of their mass, which was clearly against original predictions.

HOBO DATA

FAILURE ANALYSIS During the flight the inside temperature of our box got below -10° C which we know from our HOBO data Possible causes for the excessively low temperature include the team’s inability to conduct a cold test at a cold enough temperature. As a result of the design, there was a great deal of empty space inside the main compartment of the satellite and it was too much air for the heater to be able to heat amply. Further, due to weight concerns, the team decided to put the thinner insulation on 3 sides and the bottom of the main cube and the thicker insulation on only one side and the top. Also, inlets were carved into thicker side insulation to better hold the algae containers. There were a few gaps in the insulation and the opening for the camera was larger than necessary.

FAILURE TESTS First we made sure there were no problems with the HOBO channels

FAILURE TESTS We then redid our cold test with more insulation and more dry ice and were able to keep our satellite above 10 degrees Celsius

CONCLUSIONS After thinking about the situation some, Team Munchies came to the conclusion that the interior sealed samples, and all of the exterior samples had a lower change in mass than the control group because they all landed frozen solid. The team believes that the samples weren’t fully thawed out when masses were taken As expected, the samples exhibited a brownish hue and the pigment had dissipated, seeping out of the specimen. This indicates to the team that the samples began decaying due the stresses of the cold and lack of air. The cell walls of the cold samples were somewhat more intact and defined, likely due to the fact that they were still somewhat frozen. We believe that our results are enough to prompt future research that could provide insight on algae usage in the colonization of space as a viable oxygen source

APPENDIX-LESSONS LEARNED We would’ve done more testing with our algae to understand its conditions of life better, and looked at different kinds of algae to see which had better signs of life and decay To keep our balloonsat warmer we should have gone with a more compact design with better insulation

APPENDIX-READY FOR FLIGHT First more algae will need to be procured. This new algae would then need to be separated into samples of about one gram, massed prior to flight, and sealed in the containers, which are ready for a second flight aside from the one which was cracked. Once the containers are sealed, they need to be covered with bubble wrap and placed in the satellite. Any open space around them should be filled with cotton balls to cushion and absorb and the internal samples must be cordoned off using the plastic bag. This should all be done within 12 hours of flight then stored in a warm area. The HOBOs also need to be started and delayed to start at the time of launch The satellite then needs to be sealed and the heater and camera switches turned on right before launch

APPENDIX-REQUIREMENT MATRIX RFP/Proposal/Requirement Compliance Matrix LevelRequirementDetail 0 Mission Objectives A.1Balloon Sat Astraios shall reach an altitude of approximately 30,500 m during flight A.2The balloon sat shall weigh less than 850g A.3Project Astraios shall cost less than $300 total B Astraios shall carry eight algae samples in order to study the effects of a near space environment under varying conditions CThe algae samples shall be successfully recovered and then analyzed 1 A.1 Astraios shall be fully assembled and tested by November 3, 2010 and then turned in to COSGC on November 5, 2010 A.2 Astraios shall be weighed following assembly to ensure it is within the weight limit. Reconfiguration will occur if necessary. A.3Budget manager Sarah Kemp shall ensure that the monetary budget is adhered to B.1Team Munchies shall obtain algae from Gulf Coast Ecosystems B.2 Astraios’s design shall quarantine each algae sample from each other and allow open air exposure for the cold and unpressurised samples B.3The samples shall be prepared prior to launch, four in sealed containers and four in ventilated containers C.1 Extensive testing shall occur to ensure that the design adequately quarantines and protects the samples during flight: Cold, Whip, Drop, and Kick. C.2 An experiment on the ground shall take place during launch to provide control samples with which to compare the resulting flight samples particularly the pressurized samples. C.4 The recovered flight samples shall be examined visually in a microscope to determine condition of specimens and most importantly if they are alive. D.1 The condition of the flight samples shall be compared with the condition of samples established during testing and from ground samples D.2Temperature, humidity, pressure and altitude data shall be used to understand under what conditions and at which approximate altitude the samples died if they did.

APPENDIX-BUDGET ItemPlace of PurchaseCostWeight Algae (3 samples) Gulf Coast Ecosystems$69120g Camera Provided$0220g Heater Provided$0100g HOBO Provided$030g Pressure Sensor (HOBO) Space Grant$020g Additional Temp. Probe Space Grant$0~12g Battery for HOBO Allied Electronics$ g Plastic Bags Target$5(4)-~5g Bubble Wrap Office Depot$5~5g Plastic Tubing Provided$0~12g Washers Provided$0~50g Paperclips Provided$0~2g Test String Provided$0N/A Foam core Provided$0~50g Additional Foam core Michaels Craft Store$2~25g Velcro Provided$0~10g Hot Glue and Glue Provided$0~20g Aluminum Tape Provided$0~20g Insulation Provided$0~50g Batteries (6-9V, 2-AA) Target$30(3-9V)-108g Dry Ice Safeway$25N/A Styrofoam Cooler Owned$0N/A Total: $146.24Total: 830g

APPENDIX-MESSAGE TO NEXT SEMESTER Message to next semester First of all we recommend that you have a plan B for whatever you decide your experiment should be. Second, make sure to do your cold test before Halloween because all of the dry ice gets sold out everywhere. Third, keep your structure small so that you can concentrate your heat. Other than that, as long as you work hard, delegate tasks well, and are flexible you should have a great time in this class!