1. ARIZONA SPACE GRANT CONSORTIUM SYMPOSIUM 19 APRIL, 2008 Pima Community College ASCEND Team NW Campus

2. Pima Community College ASCEND Team Daniel JerrimInstrumentation Roscoe VerteinDesign/Construction Dr. Denise MeeksFaculty/Mentor Mike SampognaFaculty/Mentor Roscoe Denise Daniel Mike

3. Background Roscoe Vertein –Military weather –Mechanical aptitude –Love of physics Daniel Jerrim –Obsession with technology –Basic computer knowledge –Passion for building/creating

4. Motivation…?

5. INESCAPABLE SCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY NASA sponsored, ANSR affiliated And of course, the educational benefits

6. The “Why?” Astronomy students Volunteer Outside normal workload Principle to practical Building the “Toolbox” of knowledge Needed another notch on the… pocket protector

7. In the Beginning… Submitted grant proposal for ANSR/ASCEND project Smartest, cutest, most capable and imaginative students both from Astronomy 101 & 102 Our team was formed, 2 instructors and 2 students

8. The Plan Received basic module design Parts ordered Duties divided according to expertise

9. K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) BBattery TCTiming Circuit DCDigital Camera HTRHeater HHOBO SSensor

10. The Breakdown

11. Electronics

12. Fabrication

13. Bringing It Together Last minute changes –New logger Malfunction with pressure logger interface –Overnight new pressure logger –New support/load bearing center pole PVC tubing and cement untested at low pressure and temperature –Used lamp rod, washers, and nuts

14. Preflight Orientation Arrival Observations –Networking with veteran teams –Examining their projects/experiments The ASCEND rookies –Plenty of motivation –Lack of experience –The devil is in the details

15. The Night Before Launch Discussing the future of our participation –Preplanning our next payload –Here and now! Burning the 3 a.m. oil –Removed panels for final setup –Tested all equipment operation –Checked and rechecked wiring –Set and reset programs

16. The Breakdown

17. Last Minute Preparations Final convoy arrangements Forecasting balloon course Real-time payload tracking Coordinating communications and route

18. Preparing for Launch Initializing payload –Fresh battery installation Digital camera Timing circuit Heater –Final configuration of loggers –Final testing of camera Aluminum tape seal of load Flipping of outer switches

19. Final Touches Power Switches Aluminum Sealing

20. Filling of Balloon Balloon filled with helium Approximately 20% more than total combined weight of payloads Four-person balloon-stabilizing team Watch out for bursts of wind

21. WINDY DAY!!!!

22. Send Off Payloads separated along cord Aligned for launch

24. The Chase From Gila Bend to Black Mt. Tracked by GPS Payload at 62,000 ft

25. The Route

26. The Recovery GPS set to 32.8103,-111.3240 20 minutes by foot Just east from Newman Peak

27. Temp, °C30.2° to -22.1° DewPt, °C 8.9° to -49.3° RH, %35.0° to 5.1° Recovered Data

28. What We Learned Fabrication materials Construction methods Equipment reliability and functionality Attention to detail New questions to ask Identified unpredicted power anomalies Education –Temperature variation –Pressure changes with altitude

29. Next Time… Research –New equipment –Sensor capabilities –Data acquisition techniques More time to work Know who to contact for help More Testing

30. Future Project Plans Solar power Single mother board GPS Radio Transmitter Multiple cameras Video Pressure Altitude Temp. - Inside payload - Outside Humidity Accelerometer EM radiation

31. Special Thanks Jack Crabtree ANSR Susan Brew Arizona Space Grant Consortium NASA ASCEND participants Northwest Campus administration Everyone at the launch and recovery Mike Sampogna Denise Meeks

32. Questions?