Evan Akselrad, Chris Anaya, Natalie Bixler, Melanie Dubin, Logan Finch, Ted Maritz, and Scott Williams December 2, 2008 Team Flight Club Final Presentation

Mission Overview The BalloonSat Flight Club shall ascend to an altitude of 30 kilometers to image the curvature and surface of the Earth, and to measure the light intensity at different altitudes to determine if commercial aviation has an impact on light intensity levels. –This shall be accomplished by measuring current using solar panels attached to the payload. Hypothesis: –The research conducted on Flight Club will conclude that there is a correlation between commercial aviation and global warming. If there is a measurable increase in light intensity above the flight level of aviation then one can conclude that contrails reflect light thus decreasing light intensity and decreasing the effect of global warming.

Design Overview

Battery Camera Memory Card Battery Switch 1 Heating Circuit Battery 2-channel Hobo Data Logger 2-channel Hobo Data Logger Internal Temperature Probe External Temperature Probe Solar Film 10 Ohm Resistor Voltage Logger Battery Functional Block Diagram

Results and Analysis (3 to 5 minutes) –Compare predicted and actual –Data, Plots, Pictures, Videos –All of the above should be analyzed and conclusions made –Include a recap of how your BalloonSat flight went –NOTE: Use your HOBO Temp and RH data but it should not be the focus of your results and analysis section. Show it, explain it, but then move on. I am more interested in your HOBO data if it indicates a failure mode. –NOTE: Don’t show pre-flight structural testing.

Results and Analysis Data shows clear increase in the light intensity and therefore current before the maximum altitude of commercial aviation However from the data gathered it is very difficult to conclude anything about the effects of commercial aviation upon light intensity There are not fluctuations in the light intensity within the flight levels as was predicted After about 15000m the light intensity decreases as the satellite reaches into the darkness of near space

Hobo Data

Pictures From Launch

Failure Analysis Camera: –Failure due to computer glitch or temperature –Believed to have failed due to the extreme temperature –About eighty pictures were taken in the beginning of the flight before the camera failed –Testing the camera afterwards showed that it worked again Internal and external temperature readings on the HOBO: –Even the initial temperature readings were wrong. –After the flight, the HOBO was tested, this time receiving accurate readings. –While it is impossible to tell the source of the HOBO’s failure, some possibilities have been eliminated. It can not be extreme cold because the failing temperature is -20 degrees Celsius and the camera worked at the beginning of the flight, proving the HOBO was not too cold.

Conclusions It was found that there was an increase in the rate of light intensity change at the maximum flight level of commercial aviation (14300 meters) –This is consistent with our hypothesis –While we cannot absolutely confirm the hypothesis, the retrieved data does not conflict with the hypothesis.

Lessons Learned Team Flight Club gained a large amount of valuable experience throughout the course. Changes that would be made to the satellite include, making sure that the HOBO data logger is fully operational prior to launch by running more tests and making sure the camera does not become frozen by adding another heater. Because our HOBO failed prior to launch, we realize we should have done more extreme cold tests too see where it stops functioning properly. In order to get more accurate data to prove or disprove our science hypothesis, it is necessary to have a more standardized and consistent method for gathering data. For instance when we standardized our solar panels we found that each panel did not supply the exact same voltage under the same light conditions Among the lessons learned, Team Flight Club has gained valuable electrical circuit-building experience, and expertise in critical problem solving and failure analysis.

Ready to Fly Again How to store: –upright, solar panels kept away from sharp objects, caution taken to ensure that wires both inside and outside of the box are not pulled, at room temperature. To prepare Flight Club for flight: –Program HOBO and Lascar Voltage Data Logger to start at a specific time, preferably 30 minutes prior to flight. –Turn heater should be switched to the “ON” position at least 15 minutes before flight –Turn camera should be switched to the “ON” position and back to the “OFF” position right before flight. –Tape both switches down to secure. –By listening to the camera for a long beeping sequence followed by camera shutter sounds, it can be verified that the program is properly running and taking pictures.

Appendix Weight Budget ObjectsWeight Per Unit (Grams)Number of UnitsOverall Weight (Grams) Part # Company Foam Core with Hot Glue and Aluminum Tape n/a Space Grant Hobo H n/a Space Grant External Temperature Cable515 n/a Space Grant Canon A570IS Digital Camera plus Battery and Memory Card2201 n/a Space Grant Heating System n/a Space Grant 9V Batteries n/a Space Grant Solar Film MPT Sundance Solar 2 East Main Street Warner, NH Flight String Tube101 n/a Space Grant Lascar Voltage Data Logger plus Battery401 El-USB-3 MicroDAQ.com, LTD. P.O. Box Maple Street Contoocook, NH Washers n/a Space Grant Paper Clips122 n/a Space Grant Wiring155 n/a Space Grant Total (Grams) Weight Margin (Weight Left)211.44

Appendix Monetary Budget ObjectsUnit PriceNumber of UnitsOverall Price Foam CoreProvided1n/a Thermal SheetsProvided1n/a Hobo H Provided1n/a Canon A570ISProvided1n/a Heating SystemProvided1n/a 9V BatteriesProvided4n/a Solar Film$8.504$34.00 UPS Shipping for Solar Film$8.621$8.61 Voltage Data Logger$ Extra Voltage Logger Battery$ UPS Shipping for Data Logger$ Dry Ice $13.71 DiodesProvided4n/a 10Ω (1% Tolerance) ResistorProvided2n/a Paper ClipsProvided2n/a Total$152.31

Appendix Requirements Matrix Mission RequirementsCompleted Design shall have one additional experiment that collects science data.The design implemented a light intensity experiment. After flight, BalloonSat shall be turned in working and ready to fly again.The BalloonSat shall be returned to Space Grant in working condition Flight string interface tube shall be a non-metal tube through the center of the BalloonSat and shall be secured to the box so it will not pull through the BalloonSat or interfere with the flight string.A non-metal tube has been installed into the BalloonSat. Internal temperature of the BalloonSat shall remain above 0ºC during the flight.Data received from the HOBO data logger is inconclusive. Total weight shall not exceed 1000 grams.The BalloonSat weighs grams. Each team shall acquire (not necessarily measure) ascent and descent rates of the flight string.Ascent and descent rates were retrieved from the Helium Balloon operator. Design shall allow for a HOBO H x48x19 mm and 29 grams.The HOBO has been implemented into the design. Design shall allow for external temperature cable.The external temperature cable has been implemented into the design. Design shall allow for a Canon A570IS Digital Camera 45x75x90 mm and 220 grams.The digital camera has been implemented into the design. BalloonSat shall be made of foam core.The BalloonSat has been constructed with foam core. Parts list and budget shall include spare parts.Spare parts have been included into the budget. All Balloonists shall have contact information written on the outside along with a US Flag.Contact information and a US Flag have been attached to the BalloonSat. Units shall be in metric.Units are in metric. Launch is on November 15, Time and location: 7:30 AM in Windsor, CO. Launch schedule will be given later. Everyone is expected to show up for launch. Only one team member is required to participate on the recovery. Launch and recovery should be completed by 3:00 PM. Due to recent changes in FAA regulations, the launch occurred at 7:06 AM. Recovery occurred at 3:00 PM. No one shall get hurt.No one has gotten hurt. All hardware is the property of the Gateway to Space program and must be returned at the end of the semester.All hardware shall be returned following flight and analysis. All parts shall be ordered and paid by Chris Koehler’s CU MasterCard by appointment to minimize reimbursement paperwork. All teams shall keep detailed budgets on every purchase and receipts shall be turned in within 48 hours of purchase with team name written on the receipt. All parts have been ordered using Chris Koehler’s CU MasterCard with proper documentation. A detailed budget has been kept. All purchases made by team individuals shall have receipts and must be submitted within 60 days of purchase or reimbursement will be subject to income taxes.All purchases made by team individuals have been properly documented. Have fun and be creative.All team individuals have been having fun and being creative throughout the project. Absolutely nothing alive will be permitted as payloads with the exception of yellow jackets, mosquitoes, fire ants, earwigs, roaches, or anything you would squish if you found it in your bed.No live animals shall be present during flight. Completion of final report (extra credit if team video is included)The final report shall be completed.

Appendix The advice Team Flight Club would give to next year’s teams would be to figure out what you want your scientific experiment to be as early as possible. It can be a bit daunting given a blank slate, but try to come up with the general focus of your experiment before doing anything else. Also, it’s nice to have an experiment that can be applied to some real-world phenomena. Remember that the vast majority of the class is setting up and executing your experiment. Throughout the class, it’s a good idea to keep things as simple as possible. You’ll find that once you have the general idea for an experiment, there’ll be many different ways to carry out this idea. More specifically, there will be a distribution between simple and more complex designs, usually with the more complex designs trying to explain more things at once. Right about this time you should nail down the hypothesis for your experiment, which should try to answer how one specific factor affects some general process. From there you should pick the experimental design that describes both values as completely as possible. When building your satellite, be creative and figure out how exactly you want to implement your experiment. Also, don’t be afraid to utilize the resources that the professor gives you. With the right question, almost any problem can be solved. Finally, make sure to enjoy yourself throughout the semester and really get to know your teammates. Hopefully you’re all in this class because you want to be; with a bit of determination, this can be one of the most memorable classes you’ll ever take. P.S. If at all possible, don’t sleep in on launch day.