ARIZONA SPACE GRANT

CONSORTIUM SYMPOSIUM

19 APRIL, 2008

Pima Community College ASCEND Team

NW Campus

Pima Community College ASCEND Team

• Daniel Jerrim Instrumentation• Roscoe Vertein Design/Construction• Dr. Denise Meeks Faculty/Mentor• Mike Sampogna Faculty/Mentor

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Background

• Roscoe Vertein– Military weather– Mechanical aptitude– Love of physics

• Daniel Jerrim– Obsession with technology– Basic computer knowledge– Passion for building/creating

Motivation…?

INESCAPABLESCIENTIFIC CURIOSITY

NASA sponsored, ANSR affiliatedAnd of course, the educational benefits

The “Why?”

• Astronomy students

• Volunteer

• Outside normal workload

• Principle to practical

• Building the “Toolbox” of knowledge

• Needed another notch on the… pocket protector

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

The Plan

• Received basic module design

• Parts ordered

• Duties divided according to expertise

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid)

B Battery

TC Timing Circuit

DC Digital Camera

HTR Heater

H HOBO

S Sensor

The Breakdown

Electronics

Fabrication

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

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

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

The Breakdown

Last Minute Preparations

• Final convoy arrangements

• Forecasting balloon course

• Real-time payload tracking

• Coordinating communications and route

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

Final Touches

Power Switches

Aluminum Sealing

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

WINDY DAY!!!!

Send Off

• Payloads separated along cord

• Aligned for launch

The Chase

• From Gila Bend to Black Mt.• Tracked by GPS

Payload at 62,000 ft

The Route

The Recovery

• GPS set to 32.8103,-111.3240

• 20 minutes by foot

• Just east from Newman Peak

Temp, °C 30.2° to -22.1°DewPt, °C 8.9° to -49.3°RH, % 35.0° to 5.1°

Recovered Data

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

Next Time…

• Research– New equipment– Sensor capabilities– Data acquisition techniques

• More time to work

• Know who to contact for help

• More Testing

Future Project Plans

• Solar power• Single mother board• GPS• Radio Transmitter• Multiple cameras• Video• Pressure

• Altitude• Temp.

- Inside payload

- Outside• Humidity• Accelerometer• EM radiation

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

Questions?