Engineering and computer science students at Washington State University Vancouver have been hard at work designing and building a high-altitude weather balloon they plan to launch in less than three weeks.
The team of 17 WSU Vancouver students — electrical engineers, mechanical engineers and computer scientists — have clocked about 2,000 hours on the project. All but one student are juniors.
It’s the second year the team has participated in the Global Space Balloon Challenge, the world’s largest high-altitude balloon competition. High-altitude balloons are large weather balloons that carry cameras and sensors to the edge of space, according to the Global Space Balloon Challenge website.
The students receive no college credit for the project.
“It’s more for learning,” said Michael Hamilton, the team’s leader and chair of the student branch of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers on campus.
With 10 more team members working together this year, many improvements have been made to last year’s design. Computer science students have been developing firmware for the onboard processors and assisting in developing the website. Electrical engineer majors have designed the power delivery system and custom-made circuit cards.
“Bringing students of different majors together has not only been beneficial for the project, but also for the students,” Hamilton said. “While working together on different aspects of the balloon to ensure its success, the students in differing majors can learn from each other.”
Aiming higher
One of the key objectives is to beat the altitude of last year’s balloon — 21.4 miles into the stratosphere before bursting and floating back to earth with a parachute. Going higher meant students had to lighten the weight of the payload, a small foam cooler shielded from the atmosphere’s cold temperatures with aluminum tape. It carries electronic sensors, cameras, memory cards and more. Ideally, the payload should be a maximum of 12 pounds.
Last year, the payload’s weight included a video transmitter, which heated up the payload. They shaved two to three pounds from the weight by removing the video transmitter used for last year’s launch. Instead, they’ve added six GoPro cameras on board, which will create a 360-degree video from the launch until the balloon bursts.
The balloon also will have a satellite transmitter, which will send the balloon’s data to a satellite.
When it’s inflated at ground level, the balloon will measure 15 feet in diameter, but at its largest girth, the diameter will expand to 27 feet.
The balloon will be launched at 3 p.m. April 17 at the Salem Airport in Oregon, if the weather cooperates. Low winds are crucial. Last year, their launch day proved to be too windy, and the team postponed the launch for calmer winds.
Last year, even though they had a fail-safe GPS, the team lost the balloon for awhile until they received a phone call from a woman on a farm in nearby Scio, Ore.
She had been working in her garden when she looked up to see the deployed parachute carrying the payload and crimson Coug flag floating toward her. It settled into branches of one of her trees. The surprised woman called the phone number on the outside of the payload and reached the balloon recovery team. They were only a mile away.
