IT’S HABBENING! HOW TO LAUNCH A HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON Mission Design Teams Palmetto Scholars Academy North Charleston, South Carolina Trident Amateur Radio Club

Who are we? Palmetto Scholars Academy is a public charter school serving grades 6-12 in North Charleston, SC Mission Design class at Palmetto Scholars Academy is a high school class for grades 9-12 that is promoted by the South Carolina Space Grant Consortium

 Explore STEM programs and design missions involving NASA, space, or low-Earth Orbit Goal of Mission Design

 June 2015  First High Altitude Ball0on Launch  103,752 feet  Student payload with experiment  -- How does high altitude, low pressure, and low temperature affect the conductivity of metals?  payload.html payload.html Prior Experience with HAB

HAB Pictures/Payload Pass Around

 Find a launching location  Find a good date  Use predict.habhub.org to run simulations LAUNCHING A HAB Step 1 Launch Location Balloon Burst Landing Location

Predict.habhub.org  Put in latitude/longitude of your location  Launch altitude is your location at sea level  UTC (Universal) Time is five hours ahead of Eastern time  Put time in military time  Ascent Rate is usually 5 m/s  Burst altitude is usually 30,000m  Descent rate is usually 5 m/s (parachute)

Predict.habhub.org Use the Burst Calculator to help predict the altitude of the burst of the balloon Type in: -- Payload mass -- Select your balloon -- Put in target burst altitude OR target ascent rate Click on “Use Values” BURST CALCULATOR ON PREDICT.HABHUB.ORG

A note about location Wide open space Grass low to the ground Away from power lines Away from tree cover

BALLOON CONSIDERATIONS Always wear rubber gloves when handling balloon A tarp for the filling area can help keep the balloon from touching the ground and allowing it to pop Don’t let it touch the ground! It will pop

Step 2 FAA REGULATION PART 101, SECTION D

Step 2 AIRSPACE INFORMATION

BUY A BALLOON Step 3 Cost: $8 -- $150 Think about the mass of your payload and your budget to choose balloon

BALLOON – Pick a Size!

STEP 4 HELIUM Be careful! Tank can be heavy! A tank can run between $80-$400. Shop around! Local Suppliers: Airgas – Charleston/North Charleston Hughes Rental – Mount Pleasant

1 cubic foot of helium will lift 28 grams of mass. 1 cubic foot of He = 28 grams  Cubic feet of helium cannot equal balloon mass and payload mass only (Neck Lift)  Must have enough helium to lift balloon, too! (Free Lift) STEP 4 AMOUNT OF HELIUM Perfect Example of Neck Lift HOVERING BALLOON

STEP 4 BALLOON INFLATOR Fits on the helium tank Has built in regulator Strong rubber seal Safe, easy, regulates pressure High Altitude Science Corporation s/3-cm-max-safe-inflator $85

STEP 5 PACK YOUR PAYLOAD ESSENTIALS PARACHUTE FOR PAYLOAD RETURN (MAY OR MAY NOT RETURN TO YOU) ALARM FOR AUDITORY CUES FOR PAYLOAD/PARACHUTE RETRIEVAL EXCELLENT BATTERIES FOR YOUR ALARM, CAMERAS, PAYLOAD (IF APPLICABLE) Parachutes available at Highaltitudescience.com Rocketchutes.com ($7-75) ucts/radioshack-102db-piezo- siren?variant=

STEP 6 ASSEMBLE THE BALLOON PACKAGE DURABLE NYLON STRING LIGHTWEIGHT, DURABLE HOUSING (FOAM) PARACHUTE ALARM CONTACT INFORMATION ON PAYLOAD DON’T FORGET PAYLOAD!

WHERE DID IT GO? TRACK VIA AUTOMATIC PACKET REPORTING SYSTEM (APRS) Requires an amateur radio license Free Update every minute or three (configurable) TRACK VIA COMMERCIAL SATELLITE SERVICE Requires a subscription Global coverage l Requires internet access – risky in rural areas

APRS Transmits AX.25 data packets, usually at MHz Packets can go hundreds of miles from altitude, and ground-based digipeaters extend range Packets can contain any data; position is most common Sender requires GPS, modem, transmitter Build or buy.. l Byonics.com, $220

RECEIVING APRS PACKETS Requires receiver, modem, and display Some radios come with complete capability Can cobble together with a laptop or Rpi We tracked our last launch directly, using a Raspberry Pi and a laptop in the back seat. Immediate updates No reliance on internet l “Are we getting closer or farther?”

APRS TERMINAL

APRS VIA INTERNET (

SATELLITE BASED SERVICES Uses GPS to get location Uses Iridium to send data Position Short message Emergency message l Long time between reports