Ascend: Weather Balloon Payloads - Near Space Research
Faculty Mentor Name
Yabin Liao
Format Preference
Poster
Abstract
The ERAU ASCEND! team works alongside numerous universities and high schools across the state of Arizona to launch weather balloon payloads to near-space once a semester, with the help of Arizona Near Space Research (ASN R). The team is comprised primarily of Aerospace Engineers, but prides itself on providing equal opportunities to interested students of any major. Students in ASCEND! are provided the unique opportunity to experience a complete design cycle in each semester, from the initial conceptualization of a payload to the analysis of data after its recovery. Throughout the cycle, team members learn soldering and sensor control, coding and data logging, design proposal processes, trade studies, and computer-aided design. For the past several semesters, a primary objective of ASCE ND has been to live stream video and telemetry from the payload throughout the balloon flight, while simultaneously recording scientific data about the atmosphere. A secondary goal has been to improve the structural characteristics of the payload. To facilitate these goals, the group is divided into three sub-teams. The Structures team is responsible for developing the fiberglass payload shell and 3D-printed internals. Working alongside the Structures team is the Sensors team, which selects and codes the various sensors inside the payload in order to collect data. Finally, the Ground Station team designs and codes tracking stations, which keep high-gain antennas oriented towards the payload. This semester, the Structures and Sensors teams are working to downsize the payload structure to reduce weight while maintaining the same sensing and transmission capabilities. The Ground Station team is designing a new tracking station, which will allow simultaneously reception of telemetry and video data.
Ascend: Weather Balloon Payloads - Near Space Research
The ERAU ASCEND! team works alongside numerous universities and high schools across the state of Arizona to launch weather balloon payloads to near-space once a semester, with the help of Arizona Near Space Research (ASN R). The team is comprised primarily of Aerospace Engineers, but prides itself on providing equal opportunities to interested students of any major. Students in ASCEND! are provided the unique opportunity to experience a complete design cycle in each semester, from the initial conceptualization of a payload to the analysis of data after its recovery. Throughout the cycle, team members learn soldering and sensor control, coding and data logging, design proposal processes, trade studies, and computer-aided design. For the past several semesters, a primary objective of ASCE ND has been to live stream video and telemetry from the payload throughout the balloon flight, while simultaneously recording scientific data about the atmosphere. A secondary goal has been to improve the structural characteristics of the payload. To facilitate these goals, the group is divided into three sub-teams. The Structures team is responsible for developing the fiberglass payload shell and 3D-printed internals. Working alongside the Structures team is the Sensors team, which selects and codes the various sensors inside the payload in order to collect data. Finally, the Ground Station team designs and codes tracking stations, which keep high-gain antennas oriented towards the payload. This semester, the Structures and Sensors teams are working to downsize the payload structure to reduce weight while maintaining the same sensing and transmission capabilities. The Ground Station team is designing a new tracking station, which will allow simultaneously reception of telemetry and video data.