Fall 2015 HAB Project
MAT 242 - Professor Quasem
Introduction
The goal of this project was to design a frame, cooler, battery and other items that would make up the components that would attach to a high altitude balloon/parachute that would be launched into the atmosphere, and then would later return to earth, or shall I say some part of South Carolina. Our Differential Equations class, taught by Professor Quasem, along with Calculus 3 class, taught by Professor Long were the students responsible with this great task.
Body (Action Items)
Every Friday all students involved as well as both Professors met to discuss the success of previous "HAB" projects, all items that were needed, how to collect data, action items, and importantly, how to write a Technical paper of our findings. I was given the task of recorder, as I was responsible for jotting down the different teams, the practice launch date, the maximum weight of our project, our actual launch date, et cetera. Our teams were made up of a two videographers, a launch team, a search and rescue team, two students whom traveled with Professor Long to pick up the tank, a student to get an estimated location of where our balloon will land by using GPS Spot Tracker, and the two designers.
Components
HAB Frame (Final Payload Container)
Earl Sale was responsible for the HAB Payload Frame, which was an all aluminum frame composed of ¾” angle aluminum complete with vertical axis stabilization. The overall dimensions were 16in x 11in x 5in - ~600g.
Arduino Containment Unit (ACU)
Jackson Clinton was responsible for the ACU, which was made from a low density plastic in a 3D printer. The entire Arduino board fits neatly inside with access to the SD Card through a slot in the side of the unit. An external battery allows easy swapping. The ACU is also fitted with an outlet for an external temperature probe. The overall dimensions were 5.27” x 6.22” x 1.575” - 422g (with contents).
Payload Container
The payload container is essentially a custom made cooler. The outer and inner shell is composed of ⅛” thick corrugated plastic. The foam insulation is a two-component mixture composed of isocyanate and polyol resin in the manner of expanding spray foam seen in many construction applications. The overall dimensions were
11” x 7” x 4⅝”.
Body (Continued)
The balloon was launched from Midlands Tech Northeast Campus in Columbia, SC, and this is where we perform our practice launch as well. The lucky location as to where the search and rescue team had to travel to retrieve our payload was Lake City, SC, 86 miles away. This was possible due to using a GPS transmitter in the box which transmitted its location every 5 minutes where they could follow its path online. The balloon reached close to 25,000 ft and temperatures of -80 degrees Fahrenheit.
Conclusion
Our HAB was actually a straightforward process. Everyone worked well together, and we were able to recover data. Everything didn't go as plan, as we were not able to capture any videos due to believing the camera was on while testing every item before launch. However, temperature, speed, and altitude was given. Teamwork was a major factor, and utilizing everyone strengths help to make this project successful.