Page 1Pegasus MSF

TEAM PEGASUS MSFJordan BurnsChris DehoyosBrenden HoganMiranda Link Hemal SemwalCody Spiker

2011BalloonSat: SatElysium

THE MISSION: SatElysium will test the effects of high altitude flight upon a closed petri dish containing a strand of the bacterium Streptococcus mutans and recording its response to determine how harsh high altitude affects bacterial reproduction and survival.Objectives:

1. Construct a two-story BalloonSat that is capable of surviving a near space flight while carrying bacterium on board.

2. Detect the effects that a near space environment has on bacteria cultures by identifying a control beforehand, and comparing the post-flight bacteria to the original control sample.

Overview:The 1967 Surveyor 3 mission that successfully went to the moon and ‘surveyed/analyzed’

the lunar terrain gave rise to a highly controversial claim. Upon the return of the Apollo 12’s payload, that of which contained the camera of Surveyor 3, and after analysis, small samples of bacteria were discovered. Since no one had had any contact with the camera for nearly two and a half years, the only explainable answer was that the bacteria had hopped on to the camera back in its production and had been sitting on the camera the entire time. But, due to the harsh conditions that these bacteria would have to endure during their stay on the camera, this option is highly unlikely. Recently, NASA has been very active in testing microbial interactions and survival in space. A current experiment consisted of exposing rocks teeming with microbes to space, and testing the survival of the microbes over an extended period of time. After 553 days in space, the microbes had not only survived, but had thrived in the harsh environment, where radiation, temperature changes and pressure ensure life doesn’t exist. More experiments testing other strains have resulted in strong evidence that bacteria may survive in the hostile environments of space.

SatElysium shall test this possibility by replicating the circumstances that these bacteria had to endure briefly within the window of about two hours. The BalloonSat will fly six different bacteria cultures on board that will each be exposed to different environmental extremes that exist at an altitude of 30 km. Then, upon retrieving the satellite, a microscope shall be used to determine the changes in the bacteria that we caused by their exposure to extreme conditions. If the matured cultures come back from the experimentation segment of the project and there is a detectable increase in the amount of bacterial spores, the project can accurately claim that bacteria do not favor these conditions. This feedback will allow team Pegasus MSF to check the validity of the Surveyor 3 project’s results. The feedback will also check the fact that bacterial infection has a greater possibility of attacking a host through increased population reproduction at higher altitudes and near space conditions for the specific genus Streptococcus mutans.

Source: “Earth Microbes On the Moon.” September 12, 2011. NASA Science. 2011. “Bacteria: Space Colonists.” September 12, 2011. Panspermia.org. 2011.

The Environment:The environment that the bacteria would have had to endure would be a conglomerate of

low/high temperature swings, low level background radiation, and low amounts of pressure. By exposing several specimens of related bacteria to these conditions and analyzing their response, the final results could give insight into whether or not bacteria can survive even for a short amount of time in these conditions. After exposure, the reaction of the bacterium will give a

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major insight into whether or not bacteria are affected by the harsh mimicked conditions of 30 km.

TECHNICAL OVERVIEW

Concept:Utilizing various mechanics of the survival of bacterium in harsh conditions, we will

simulate space like conditions to emulate harsh environments and study bacterium adaptability to such environments.

Our satellite will be a cube shaped system with an upper and lower deck. The lower deck will consist primarily of our instrumentation including microcontroller, camera, HOBO chips, temperature sensor, pressure sensor, humidity sensors and a baseline bacteria sample. This bacteria sample will not be exposed to the environmental conditions surrounding the cube, and will serve as a baseline sample for comparative use.

Satellite Rundown:There will be three experiments carried on board satellite Pegasus. These various tests

will serve as a baseline to different exposure situations, such as temperature, radiation and pressure. Two of the bacterium samples will serve as the control and will remain in the protected environment of the electronics section, which will be the bottom half of our cube satellite. Two others will be exposed to the outside environment, of around 100,000 feet. Two more samples will vary with light and temperature.

To test each environmental factor, we will separate six petri dishes into separate components that activate at different environments. These components will be exposed to the environment via holes within the structure. The temperature component will have a hole around two centimeters, and will be exposed at the side of the satellite. The sample of bacteria exposed to light will be placed towards the top of our satellite. The light will enter the satellite through a four centimeter diameter hole, and will be located towards the top of our satellite. The component doors will operate using servo electric motor that will close a circular hatch; the circular hatch will stop on a metal pin, to ensure complete closure of the port, located near the entrance of the hole. We will test at the apex of the flight path. Therefore the doors will be programmed to open after 70 minutes of flight time, and will close after 102% of the lowest pressure has been reached, depending on the altitude. All motors will operate in the same manner.

Collection of data on bacterium will be through a microscope. We will also record temperature, humidity, pressure, and several images of the mesospheric environment. We will analyze eight samples of the same bacterium before and after launch. We want to see survival rates as well as bacterium proliferation during the duration of this flight. Two samples will remain on earth, as a baseline of normal conditions. The remaining six samples will be flown on board. Two will be used in the lower, unexposed deck of Pegasus. The four remaining bacterium samples will be on the upper deck, which will be exposed separately to light and temperature, and only temperature respectively. The bacteria will be placed in split petri dishes, to stimulate comparable environments as well similar tests comparing exposed bacteria. Optimally these samples of bacterium will be recovered and studied to test for survival and number of bacteria. Temperature, humidity and pressure will be stored on a memory system connected to the Ardunio system. Images taken by the camera will be stored on the local 2GB memory unit. To

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ensure stability in our satellite, we will use batteries to power all systems on board. Both will take up weight restrictions but are integral to the success of a mission.

Structure:Our satellite will be a cube with a tube in the center that will be attached to the balloon.

Each side length will be about 20.32, totaling 8390 cm cubed. The center of gravity is at the local center of the cube, which will keep our samples stable and oriented vertically, while the experiment takes place. The entrance to expose our samples to the environments will have to be structurally sound, and will be supported by several trusses that will be positioned throughout the upper deck (sample chambers). The lower deck will consist of electronic structures, and be insulated and cushioned by foam materials, keeping it safe from the environment. Insulation will be used in the lower half of the satellite and will be applied to all walls. This is to trap the heat produced by the heater with less dissipation. The insulation will consist of black foam core. For the section of material separating the upper and lower deck foam core will only be adhered to the side facing towards the bottom of the satellite. No insulation will be used on the upper half of the satellite therefore exposing it to variations in the environment without the interaction of the lower half of the satellite.

Microcontroller system: This system will be designed by us, and will utilize an Arduino micro controller. Power

will come from a set of batteries and will have an external switch to activate power before flight. Data will be stored on a memory system connected to the controller. Data recorded will come from a temperature/humidity and a pressure sensor in the lower half of the satellite to keep a baseline for the samples in the lower half as well as to examine what internal temperatures electronics reach. Data will also be recorded from two other temperature sensors in the upper half of the satellite to keep a record of the temperatures experienced by those samples. There will also be a switch used to activate two electric motors that will close the payload doors.

SPECIAL FEATURESOur satellite will feature several testing sites, allowing us to examine different environmental conditions. These areas will be a combinatorial bacterium analysis of different environments, primarily to test the reactions between the bacterium and its environment. This is why we are differentiating our experiments into three sets of two. Each bacterium will be housed in a separated room, six in total. Depending on the experiment, the opening to the environment will be either on the side or on the top of the satellite, and four will feature the motorized door. We may have to use a simplified heater to ensure the appropriate closure of door systems.

BLOCK DIAGRAMS AND SATELLITE SCHEMATIC

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TESTINGTeam MSF will test SatElysium and the technical components of Pegasus to make sure

that all the parts and scientific test material will both be able to launch and to be recovered in working conditions. We shall submit just the satellite structure itself to a small number of tests to make sure that the structural integrity of the satellite will hold together during the flight of the BalloonSat from start to finish. The tests that the satellite will undergo are as follows:

*Drop Test:

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The drop test will consist of us taking our satellite and 1) rolling it down a long flight of stairs, and then 2) dropping it vertically from a height of about 15 meters. The purpose of this test is to show that the spacecraft will survive two conditions of landing; a long, drug-out, bouncy landing, or a flat vertical impact straight into the ground. Either way, if the satellite survives both of these landings safely, we should not have to worry about anything compromising our data when it returns to Earth.

*Whip Test:The whip test consists of us taking our satellite and stringing it in the way that it will be tethered to the rest of the satellites on launch day. We will then swing the satellite by the tether in circles a various speeds and directions. This test is designed to tell us no only if we need to improve the way our satellite is attached to the tether, but also if our structure can withstand the forces of changing momentum due to the “burst” environment and being whipped around at high speeds because of the tether. * These test will involve using mass simulations, rather than the parts themselves, so to avoid damaging costly equipment.

Cooler Test:The cooler test consists of us taking our satellite and placing it into a cooler full of dry ice for the period of a full flight (≈135 minutes or so) while running the experiment as we would on launch day. This will include us running our camera, heaters, micro-controller, and data logger to make sure that everything can withstand the extremely cold environment that we are sending the satellite into. The results of this test will give us insight to whether or not we will need additional heaters or power supply units for the components of the satellite. In addition to the technological components of this test, we will also place one of our control samples of bacteria inside the satellite at this time as a preliminary judge of how the bacteria specimens will react in the extremely cold environment. Vacuum Chamber TestThe vacuum chamber test consist of taking the bacteria specimens and putting it into a bell jar that will have the air expelled from it to see how bacteria will react in a zero pressure environment independent of other factors. We will accomplish this by placing 2 samples of the bacteria in a bell jar that will be evacuated of as much air as possible. The temperature will be maintained at the normal living conditions of the bacteria. We will examine the samples quantitatively before and after the test within the same hour before or after removal.

Incubation Test:The Incubation Tests will consist of us setting out control groups of our bacteria specimens to see how the bacteria will reproduce in a normal, controlled environment. We will accomplish this by setting up a variety of specimens in an environment where we have complete control over pressure, humidity, temperature, and light exposure. We will then analyze the data and store it as control information. This will give us a benchmark to what the bacteria will do in a normal environment so that we will have something to compare to the data that we collect “post-flight”.

SAFETY

In order to ensure the safety of the Pegasus MSF team, the BalloonSat will be constructed and tested with predetermined precautions. All team members will wear gloves and goggles

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whenever dealing with materials whose temperatures are above or below a normal room temperature range, such as during the cold test or using hot glue. At all times at least two members must be present during lab work at all times to ensure emergency protocol safety. When power tools are used, each team member must know how to use the tool prior to use, or have help from someone else. In addition, tests that require a copious amount of room, such as the whip test, will be conducted outside, in order to avoid damaging walls and providing enough space that team members have a safe environment to work. And of course, no team member will handle bacteria cultures directly. Bacteria are living organisms and although we are not using an extremely harmful species, we do not want to take any risks to our health. So, bacteria cultures will always be handled indirectly from the exterior of the petri dish.

BUDGET

MATERIALS LIST, SUPPLIER, PRICE

ITEM SUPPLIER PRICE Weight (g) in Sat

Quantity Total

Solder Home Depot $20.00 <1 g 1 $20.00Foam Core Gateway Class Provided to us <70 g 3 $0Hobo Data Logger Gateway Class Provided to us 30 g 1 $0Digital Camera Gateway Class Provided to us 130 g 1 $0Heating system Gateway Class Provided to us 100 g 1 $09 volt battery Walgreens $13 for 4 150 g 8-12 $26-39Aluminum Tape Gateway Class Provided to us <3 g 1 $0Arduino pro Sparkfun.com 19.95 <5 g 1 $19.95Humidity & Temp. Sensor

Amazon.com 26.95 (w S&H) <20 g 1 $26.95

Styrofoam McGuckins <$10.00 1 <$10.00Live Strand of Streptococcus Mutans (in Petri)

Wardsci.com $9.95 1.5 g 1 $9.95

AGAR www.ibisci.com $40.00 30 g 1 $40.00Motor Anaheimautomation.

com$14.38 81 g 3 $43.14

Devided Petri Dishes (20)

Carolina.com $8.50 w/o SH <20 g 1 $8.50

Nuts and Bolts McGuckins <$2.00 <20 g 1 <2.00Dry Ice Safeway <15.00 1 $15.00Total Weight = 666.5 gTotal Price = $234.49 plus S&H

SCHEDULETeam meetings always begin at 5 p.m. unless otherwise specified.9/9/11: First team meeting9/12/11: Divide tasks and submit individual

sections by 9/13/119/14/11: Team meeting/Take ITLL Tour to

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get access9/15/11: Finalize Proposal9/16/11: Submit Proposal9/19/11: Team meeting for Design

Presentation9/20/11: Conceptual Design Review

Presentation9/22/11: Team meeting to decide parts order forms. 9/26/11: Team meeting9/27/11: Order satellite hardware9/28/11-10/7/11: Build and test prototypes. Grow first set of bacteria for ground control.10/8/11-10/13/11: Complete testing and

design modifications.10/10/11: Team meeting10/16/11: Team meeting10/16/11-10/23/11: Construct BalloonSat. (work sessions will be in afternoons)

10/23/11: Satellite completion10/25/11: Pre-Launch Inspection10/26/11: Team meeting10/27/11: In class mission simulation11/01/11: Launch readiness review11/03/11: Team Meeting11/04/11: Final BalloonSat Weigh in and turn in11/05/11: Launch and Recovery11/06/11: Meet to review data11/07/11: Team meeting11/14/11: Team meeting-review final report11/21/11: Team meeting complete final

report11/29/11: Final Team Presentations and Report12/03/11: Design Expo

MANAGEMENTThe goal of Pegasus MSF is to work collectively as a team to produce a functional BalloonSat. While every team member has a designated job title and focus area, our work will have large areas of overlap. Jordan Burns will act as team leader, organizing the meetings and schedule. She will also work under Hemal Sewal, aiding in the construction of the BalloonSat, specifically in developing the thermal subsystem of insulation and temperature control. Hemal Sewal will be the construction manager, responsible for turning Miranda Link’s design vision into a functioning satellite. Miranda Link is the design director. She will make sure our mission statement and vision coincide with the design drawings, which then must translate correctly into the physical BalloonSat. She will also handle the budget, keeping track of all incoming and outgoing funds. Brenden Hogan will apply his expertise in circuits and programming to his position as Lead Electrical Engineer. He will be responsible for linking all of the technology within our satellite to the date storage system, as well as to each other. Brenden will have to work with Hemal to make sure our construction process optimizes the ability to connect all necessary technology to each other. Cody Spiker will be responsible for helping with the construction of the BalloonSat, but he will also act as Science Manager. Cody will handle carrying out the controls that make our experiment valid, and linking our science mission to the constructed satellite in a feasibly manner. Lastly, Chris Dehoyos will be responsible for tests carried out on the BalloonSat. He will design and do the tests on the satellite as a whole, but on specific subsystems. Chris will also be responsible for taking video footage of everything we do this semester for our extra credit video.

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Jordan Burns is a freshman in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado, living in the Engineering Honors Program Residential College within Andrew’s Hall. She was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado, on December 20, 1993, but has also lived in Virginia, Maryland, and California. She graduated as honorary salutatorian, and played varsity basketball all four years in high school, acting as captain her senior year. She enjoys leadership positions, has basic knowledge of construction, and has won various awards for her writing abilities. She hopes to one day complete her private pilot’s license and work on development of autonomous aircraft capabilities.

Christopher Dehoyos was born in San Antonio, Texas on November 13th, 1992. He is the youngest of 3 boys. He strongly favors math and science over other subjects because they deal with exciting things rather than just words, and he wants a future as it. He was introduced to Aerospace because his oldest brother works for SpaceX and he wants to pursue a career in propulsion technologies. In high school, Christopher was the Vice President of his National Honor Society and the Editor-in-chief of the Yearbook. He also played varsity basketball for two years and was the Captain of the Tennis team for 3 of his 4 years. He has always been fascinated with space because it is somewhere that has yet to be fully explored and it is the future of mankind.

Jordan BurnsProject Manager-responsible for all mangement and scheduling-thermal engineer9118 Andrews Hall, Boulder, CO

80130(719) 337-5357

Jordan.Burns@Colorado.edu

Brenden Hogan-Lead Electrical Engineer-responsible for circuits and mechanisms9023 Crosman Hall, Boulder,

CO 80310 (303) 483-1161

brenden.hogan@colorado.edu

Miranda Nicole Link-Design and Budget

Management-records of all team expenses,

within budget and out of pocket.

590 Merlin St., Lafayette, CO 80026

(970) 372-8873Miranda.link@Colorado.edu

Hemal Sewal-Lead Structural Engineer-responsible for overseeing the construction of the satellite

9038 AdenHall, Boulder, CO, 80309

(719)-339-7570Hemal.Sewal@Colorado.edu

Cody Spiker-Sciene Manager-responsible for all control tests on the bacteria and the growth of bacteria cultures pre-launch9023 Crosman Hall, Boulder,

CO 80310 (970) 589-5689

Cody.Spiker@colorado.edu

Christopher Dehoyos-Video Director and Testing Manager-responsible for designing all tests on the BalloonSat-oversee extra credit video

9130 Darley North Hall, Boulder, CO 80310

(210) 573-8448Christopher.dehoyos@Colorado.edu

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Cody Spiker is a freshman in Aerospace Engineering at the University of Colorado. He was born November 10, 1992 in the town of Vernal, Utah. In the past, Cody has been part of an Engineering Team that took first in a National Competition. He enjoys relaxing with a video game and the occasional book. After college, Cody is interested in either pursuing a career with a company whose focus is Deep Space Exploration or to attend Graduate School.

Hemal Sewal is senior physics undergraduate, with an emphasis in theoretical physics, as well as biophysics. He is interested in space physics because space is a profound site to learn about particle physics. He is from Colorado Springs, hailing from Cheyenne Mountain High School. He loves playing tennis, football and basketball. Overall, he simply loves science and he wants to pursue a career in research. Hemal has special skills in dealing circuits, construction, and has very good general engineering “smarts.”

Miranda Link is currently completing her fifth semester at CU, studying Astronomy. Outside of class, Miranda works at McGuckins as a cashier. Besides that, she tries to spend time with friends and family. She loves reading in her free time, the little time she has. In high school, she was a great athlete, specializing in Track and Field. She attended State all four years, and is a champion pole vaulter. Last year she took a class and knows the computer languages IDL and UNIX.

Brenden Hogan was born in Colorado and has not lived anywhere else. He has a strong interest in space, science, and technology that he pursues outside of school. He is currently trying to get a major in aerospace engineering and chose CU for its great program. He also enjoys hiking, biking, climbing, caving, sailing, backpacking, snowshoeing and pretty much any outdoors activity. He is an Eagle Scout and is also working on the schools USLI team that will compete in April. He’s programed in C++, Java, HTML, Lua, as well as had a 3 month internship at Total Longterm Care working in IT.

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