Mission Statement: Mission Statement: Team T.W.S.S. will design and construct a BalloonSat that will simultaneously image the stars in both the visible and near-infrared spectrum in order to empirically measure at which altitude stars become visible within each unique spectrum.

› Cameras mounted side by side in BalloonSat within specially designed cradle/holster.

› Shape of Irregular Triangular Prism makes optimum use of space while keeping vital components close to the heater (or so we thought) – also keeps cameras mounted at 45 degree angle so they are in position to successfully image stars.

3 9-Volt Batteries

Heater

Switch

Switch

Canon A750

Camera

Canon A750

Camera

HOBO

Lithium Battery (2 each)

Internal Temperature

External Temperature

Humidity

Functional Block Diagram

BalloonSat contained two cameras – one unfiltered and one containing infrared filter created from floppy disk film.

Programmed to take pictures at the same time within 20 second intervals.

Both cameras powered by the same switch and running on same specially written program designed to run on TV setting (instead of AV)

Camera w/o infrared filter

Camera with infrared filter

First proposed

design

Final Design

First design was isosceles triangular prism with no real system for mounting

cameras.

Final design is no longer isosceles but instead irregular triangular prism.

Contains holster specially designed to hold cameras in place.

Predicted to capture images of stars much like these images of the moon:

Predicted an exponential trend:

Original Prediction:

The cameras will not receive data until they reach the altitude at which stars become visible. Upon reaching this threshold, the function will behave exponentially as the number of stars imaged will

eventually increase to a maximum..

Unfortunately, this is what we actually obtained.

Above are six corresponding images from both cameras.

Frost clearly formed on the outside surface of the Plexiglas due to the formation of water droplets and condensation from outside sources such as clouds.

Internal Temperatures (During Flight)

External Temperatures (During Flight)

Internal temperature

decreased below 0 Centigrade

Plexiglas was not sufficiently heated

as a result

Humidity was fairly high inside the BalloonSat, contributing to the overall frost that formed on the Plexiglas.

Absolute Humidity

Our prediction still stands since we did not gain any data from our flight to prove or disprove our hypothesis.

As you can see, the sky was getting darker and, if unobstructed, the cameras would have captured glorious images of the stars.

As previously deduced, the Plexiglas froze over due to water droplets from clouds and internal condensation.

We know this because the formation of ice due to outside sources of water is visible in our collected data of images.

On the bright side, we did collect sufficient evidence to back up the theory that water freezes at temperatures below zero degrees centigrade.

Our mission failed because our Plexiglas window frosted over› Heater’s position

could not distribute warmth to Plexiglas

› Anti-fog for the Plexiglas window was absent

› Humidity levels were too high because desiccant packs were not present

ORIGINAL PRE-FLIGHT DESIGN IMPROVED POST FLIGHT DESIGN

Heater takes place of batteries

We have made several changes to our previous design to prevent future failures and ensure our Plexiglas

window receives adequate heat.

Batteries initially on top of holster

Batteries moved to bottom of

holster

Heater originally underneath cameras

Heating grid positioned to nearly touch Plexiglas

Heater moved to

top of holster

ORIGINAL PRE-FLIGHT DESIGN IMPROVED POST FLIGHT DESIGN

Batteries moved to bottom of holster

A fourth cold test was performed. In order to ensure Plexiglas would not

freeze over in future, Rain-X anti-fog wipes were used on surface.

Desiccant packs were placed inside. The heater was not turned on in

order to determine if Plexiglas would freeze under most extreme conditions.

Water was poured on surface of Plexiglas before test to simulate water droplets.

External Temperature during post flight Cold test

without Heater.

Internal Temperature during post flight Cold Test without

Heater.

Temperatures descended well

below zero

Plexiglas did not freeze over

Changes proved successful

NOTE: Pictures are unavailable because

the cold test container is very

dark. However, the team noticed no frost

on Plexiglas upon end of test

Water poured on Plexiglas did

not stick to surface; did not

collect

Changes for future flights Apply anti-fog wipes on viewing window

surface Reposition heater so that it is able to reach

Plexiglas Place desiccant packs inside BalloonSat

Due to our major flaw we:

› Were unable to make any discoveries related to our mission, our cameras worked perfectly but without a clear view of the sky they provided no useful data.

› Our data told us that our design had problems with heat distribution and humidity.

› Realized frost was a problem overlooked because cold tests were allowed to run well past the standard 3.5hrs (up to 7hrs), resulting in frost dissipating before test analysis.

Frost and humidity were problems we overlooked. Anti-fog/desiccant for the window was crucial Testing needs to be more closely controlled Our design needed the heater to be closer to the

window to prevent frost as shown below in our cradle redesign

Storage is simple, there are no external parts to break off and all internal components are secured, care in handling and storage at a reasonable temperature will be sufficient.

Heater should be active 10min prior to launch, cameras should be activated <1min prior to launch.

System has been redesigned (see below).

Weight: 916.4 gTotal funds remaining: $100.30Balloon attachment to RFP spec: CheckSharp edges and burrs removed: CheckFlight string fits through box: CheckQuality of box construction: CheckCorners aluminum taped: CheckSwitches Identified: CheckSwitches Secured in off position: CheckTeam info in two places: CheckAmerican Flag: CheckDrop Test Passed: CheckWhip Test Passed: CheckCold Test Passed: CheckMission Life 3 hours: CheckTest Pictures taken from inside box: CheckHobo Delay Start: False (no launch date)Cameras unobstructed: CheckExternal Temperature Sensor 1” out: Check

Item (* included in Structure) Cost ($) Weight (g)

HOBO Provided56

Foam Core Structure Provided188.2

Heater Provided32

3x 9V Battery Provided 138

Lithium AA Batteries (4) Provided 59.4

Canon A750 Digital Camera Provided207.1

Canon A750 Digital Camera Provided207.1

Velcro $3.62 *

Zip Ties (1) Provided *

Tube and washers Provided 28.6

Aluminum Tape Provided*

Dry Ice $18.31 N/A

9V Battery $10.34 N/A 

Brass Rod $0.99 * 

Insulation Provided*

Plexiglas $27.09 *

Total $60.35 916.4

Starting funds $150.00

Remaining Funds $89.65

Make sure that all team members communicate effectively and frequently.

If any problem concerning the project arises it should be addressed promptly rather than put off until it is forgotten.

Hold team members accountable for tasks they say they will complete.

Stay on schedule and hold meetings regularly.