Chelsea Welch Tully Baetz Colin Nugen Elisabeth Moger Charles Hartman Anthony Cangelosi

Mission Overview Mission Statement: The BalloonSat, Big Bang, will ascend to approximately 30 km carrying a GCK- 05 Geiger counter that will detect the amount of radiation in the lower atmosphere, specifically the amount of beta particles and gamma rays, as a function of altitude. Discoveries: We plan to discover when and where the lower atmosphere, which includes the ozone later, filters harmful radiation before it reaches Earth. Hypothesis: We believe that a majority of the gamma rays and beta particles will be stopped by the ozone layer before they reach the ground. Why: We want to know how much we are being protected from harmful radiation in order to better understand our ozone layer and appreciate it.

Requirements Flow Down: LevelTypeNumberRequirement 0 (MS) O1 The BalloonSat shall ascend to an altitude of approximately 30 km during a flight of 90 minutes. O2 The BalloonSat shall collect data related to radiation in near space as a function of altitude. O3 The BalloonSat shall be launched from Windsor, Colorado on November 7, 2009 at 6:50 A.M. O4 The total science cost of the BalloonSat shall not exceed $ and any amount over shall be covered by the team. O5All safety precautions will be taken. S6The BallonSat shall not weight more than 850 grams. S7 The BalloonSat shall carry hardware that will collect data during flight. S8 All components of the BalloonSat shall be tested for functionality. 1 O1.1The BallonSat shall remain intact throughout the entire flight. O1.2 The BalloonSat shall withstand extreme external pressures and temperatures during flight. Temperature will be regulated by the heater. O2.1 The BalloonSat shall carry a Geiger counter that will detect beta particles and gamma rays as a function of altitude. O3.1 O4.1Anthony Cangelosi will provide $73.95 for the excess cost. O5.1 All directions will be followed when building the Geiger counter.

Requirements Flow Down Continued: 1 O5.2 All safety procedures will be followed while conducting every test. O5.3All directions will be followed on launch day. S6.1 The Camera, AVR Board, Heater, HOBO, 2 AA Batteries, 3 x 9 Alkaline Batteries, and 2 x 9 Volt Lithium Batteries shall weigh 500g. S6.2 The Geiger Counter, Foam Core, Switches, Aluminum Tape, Glue, Insulation, a 9 Volt Lithium Battery, Plastic tubing, Anti-abrasion Washers, and 2 Paperclips shall not weigh more than 350g. S7.1 The BalloonSat HOBO data logger shall measure internal temperature, external temperature, and humidity with the external temperature cable throughout the flight S7.2 The AVR Board shall measure ascent and descent rates and internal pressure throughout the flight. S7.3The Camera shall take pictures throughout the flight. S8.1The Geiger counter shall be tested by using a sealed source. S8.2 The Geiger counter data from the sealed source shall be tested, recorded, and analyzed before flight. S8.3 The Camera, Heater, HOBO, and AVR Board shall be tested individually for functionality. S8.4 The entire system of hardware shall be assembled and tested for functionality S8.5 The structure will be whip, drop, stair pitch, cooler, vacuum, and mission simulation tested.

Design: Our design: The BalloonSat, Big Bang, will be a rectangular prism with dimensions 25x25x9 cm constructed from foam core. It will carry a GCK-05 Analog Geiger counter to an altitude of 30km recording counts to the AVR memory. How we will complete our mission: We will build the Geiger counter from a kit and connect it to the AVR board through one of the available analog inputs. The AVR microcontroller will be programmed to record the 0 or 5V signal onto it’s memory. Parts: The Geiger counter will be ordered from Images Scientific Instruments on Tuesday, October 6 and is expected to arrive within five days.

Budgets: Item Weight (grams) HOBO30g Canon A570IS & 2 AA Batteries 220g AVR & 2 x 9 Volt Lithium Batteries 150g Heater & 3 x 9 Volt Alkaline Batteries 100g 1 x 9 Volt Lithium Battery33.8g Geiger Counter64g Plastic TubingApprox 11g 2 PaperclipsApprox 2g Foam core Structure24g Insulation50g Aluminum Tape10g Glue20g 3 Switches15g Total = 729.8g Item Where Item Will be Purchased/Ordered From Price (U.S. dollars) Analog Meter Geiger Counter (GCK-05 Model) Images Scientific Instruments (imagesco.com) $ Volt Battery (Geiger Counter) and Test Batteries Office Depot $20.00 Dry IceSafeway 5.00 Total = $173.95

Schedule: Design CompleteTuesday 9/15/09 Team meetingWednesday 9/16/09 Proposal Due Thursday 9/17/09 Begin to acquire hardware and materials not ordered. Saturday 9/19/09 Team meeting Monday 9/21/09 Proposal Presentation Due Tuesday 9/22/09 Authority to Proceed – Order All Hardware – HW 4 Due. Tuesday 9/29/09 Team meeting Wednesday 9/30/09 Begin Building Structure Thursday 10/1/09 Team meeting Monday 10/5/09 Acquire all necessary hardware Tuesday10/6/09 Order Geiger counter Tuesday 10/6/09 Team meeting Monday 10/12/09 Acquire Geiger Counter Kit– Begin Building Wednesday 10/14/09 Finish Geiger Counter Saturday 10/17/09 Test Geiger counter Sunday 10/18/09 Team Meeting Monday 10/19/09 Incorporate GC into structure Monday 10/19/09 Finish building payload Wednesday 10/21/09 Whip/Drop/Stair Pitch Tests/ Revisions where needed. Thursday 10/22/09 Function Test, Cooler Test, Vacuum Test And Revisions Friday 10/23/09 Pay Load Complete Ready to go – Tested Saturday 10/24/09 Team meeting Monday 10/26/09 Pre-Launch Inspection Tuesday 10/27/09 In-Class Mission Simulation Test Thursday 10/29/09 Finish BalloonSat Weigh in – Turn in Friday 11/6/09 Launch Day Saturday 11/7/09 Team meeting- extract data Monday 11/9/09 Bring Raw flight data Tuesday 11/10/09 Analyze Data Thursday 11/12/09 Finish Analyzing Data Sunday 11/15/09 Team meeting- Begin Final Presentation Monday 11/16/09 Homework 5 due Thursday 11/19/09 Finish Final Presentations Friday 11/27/09 Presentations Due Tuesday 12/1/09 Hardware Turn-in Tuesday 12/8/09 Homework 6 Due Thursday 12/10/09

Proposal Requirements: RFP RequirementCompliance Additional experiments, collection of data, analysis of data Geiger counter, detecting and recording radiation, analysis with respect to altitude Analog input not to exceed 5VGeiger counter data to be recorded from 0 to 5 Volts Interface tube secured and not interfering with flight string Plastic tube, anti-abrasion washers, and paperclips will be built into structure Internal temperature remain above -10° CHeater shall regulate temperature Weight not to exceed 850gTotal weight is 729.8g Acquire ascent and descent rates of flight stringData found by pressure readings Design allows for HOBO, external temperature cable, Camera, AVR Microcontroller, heater system, and batteries. All are incorporated into the BalloonSat design. BalloonSat shall be made of foam coreIncorporated into the design Part list and budget shall include spare parts An extra sheet of foam core and an extra plastic tube has been included as well as excess glue, tape, and paper clips. The Geiger counter cannot be replaced. BalloonSat shall have contact information and an American flag. This will be incorporated into the design on the outside of the foam core once the satellite has been finished. All units shall be in metricAll units in all design documents are in metric. No one shall get hurt All safety procedures and instructions shall be followed.

Testing: Post Assembly Functionality Test Use headphones and background radiation to determine if the Geiger counter is working properly. AVR – Geiger Counter Integration Test Take measurements of background radiation to determine if the Geiger counter is properly integrated with the AVR board and if the AVR is programmed to take data properly. Sensitivity Testing Using a sealed source of Cobalt-90, repeat the integration test at various distances from the source and compare the results to expected 1/r^2 flux expectations.

Team Organization Chart: NameTasksSystems Responsibilities Colin NugenHelp with building, editing documents, Structure, Science, Research, Power Chelsea WelchTeam leader. Finalize documents and reports, and help with building. Structure, Research, Science, Electrical Tully BaetzConceptual design artist, help with building, editing of documents, team morale booster C&DH, Research, Structure, Science Charles Hartman Structures: design, testing, integrating with other systems, research supplies Research, Structure, Thermal, Science Anthony Cangelosi Budget, help with building and testing. C&DH, Research, Science, Power Elisabeth Moger Electrical, building, and testing, and research Science, Electrical, Power, Structure

Expected Results: We expect a steep nonlinear increase of counts per minute up to an altitude of 15 km. After 15 km the counts per minute should drop off. Count rate Altitude

Biggest Worries: Destruction of the Geiger counter Early and careful assembly allowing extra time for replacement part ordering Failing to arm the payload Arming with two people to double check its status Faulty programming Program early so help can be sought if needed Time Sticking to the schedule and performing tasks as early as possible