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

Mission Overview Mission Statement: The BalloonSat, Big Bang, will ascend to an altitude of approximately 30 km for a 90 minute flight carrying a GCK-05 Analog Meter 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: Beta particles above 5.0 keV and gamma rays above 7 keV will be detected by the Geiger counter with the Geiger-Muller tube. The data from these readings will be stored by the AVR board. All of the data will then be analyzed by comparing time, altitude, and radiation data to reveal the magnitude of the radiation environment at various levels of the troposphere and stratosphere. 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 launched from Windsor, Colorado at 6:50 AM on November 7, O2 The BalloonSat shall collect data related to radiation in near space as a function of altitude. O3 The total science cost of the BalloonSat shall not exceed a weight of 850 grams or a cost of $ Any additional cost shall be covered by the team O4All safety precautions will be taken. S5 The BalloonSat shall carry hardware that will collect data during flight. S6 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 All extra costs will be split equally between members at the end of the class. O3.2 The Camera, AVR Board, Heater, HOBO, 2 AA Batteries, 3 x 9 Alkaline Batteries, and 2 x 9 Volt Lithium Batteries shall weigh between 450 and 550 grams. O3.3 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.

Requirements Flow Down Continued: 1 O4.1 All safety procedures will be followed while conducting every test. O4.2All directions will be followed on launch day. S5.1 The BalloonSat HOBO data logger shall measure internal temperature, external temperature, and humidity with the external temperature cable throughout the flight S5.2 The AVR Board shall measure ascent and descent rates and internal pressure throughout the flight, and shall collect data output from the Geiger counter S5.3 The Camera shall take pictures throughout the flight. S6.1 The Geiger counter shall be tested using a radiation. S6.2 The Geiger counter data from the radiation source shall be taken and analyzed before flight. S6.3 The Camera, Heater, HOBO, and AVR Board shall be tested individually for functionality. S6.4 The entire system of hardware shall be assembled and tested for functionality S6.5 The structure will be whip, drop, stair pitch, cooler, and mission simulation tested.

Design: Our design: The BalloonSat, Big Bang, is a cube with dimensions 16x16x16 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. Geiger Counter construction: We built the Geiger counter from a kit and connected it to the AVR board through one of the available analog inputs. The AVR microcontroller has been programmed to record the 0 or 5V signal onto it’s memory.

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 Was Purchased/Ordered From Price (U.S. dollars) 9 Volt Battery (Geiger Counter) and Test Batteries Office Depot $20.00 Dry IceSafeway $5.00 Total = $25.00

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 dueThursday 11/19/09 Finish Final PresentationsFriday 11/27/09 Presentations DueTuesday 12/1/09 Design ExpoSaturday 12/5/09 Hardware Turn-inTuesday 12/8/09 Homework 6 DueThursday 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 Used headphones and background radiation to determine if the Geiger counter was working properly. Test was successful AVR – Geiger Counter Integration Test Took measurements of background radiation to determine if the Geiger counter was properly integrated with the AVR board and if the AVR was programmed to take data properly. Test was successful Sensitivity Testing Using a sealed source of Cobalt-90, repeated the integration test at various distances from the source and compared the results to expected 1/r^2 flux expectations. Test was successful

Team Organization Chart: NameTasksSystems Responsibilities Colin Nugen Help with building of test structures and the Geiger counter, editing documents, testing, making the functional block diagram. Structure, Science, Research, Power Chelsea Welch Team leader. Finalize documents and reports, and help with building the final structure Geiger counter Structure, Research, Science, Electrical Tully Baetz Conceptual design artist, help with building the test and final structures and the Geiger counter, testing, programming, 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 and testing, programming, help with building of test and final structures and the Geiger counter. C&DH, Research, Science, Power Elisabeth Moger Electrical, editing of team documents, help with building of the Geiger counter, testing, and research. Science, Electrical, Power, Structure

Expected Results: We expect a steep nonlinear increase in counts per minute that peaks at 15 km with roughly 6 to 8 times the counts per minute at the starting elevation. Above 15km the counts per minute should drop off more rapidly, the change should be significantly steeper than the ascent to 15 km

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