Chelsea WelchTully Baetz

Colin NugenElisabeth MogerCharles Hartman

Anthony Cangelosi

Mission OverviewMission Statement:

The BalloonSat, Big Bang, will ascend to approximately 30 km carrying a GCK-05 Geiger counter that will detect the amount of radiation in the lower atmosphere, specifically the amount of beta particles and gamma rays, as a function of altitude.

Discoveries:We plan to discover when and where the lower atmosphere, which includes the ozone later, filters harmful radiation before it reaches Earth.

Hypothesis:We believe that a majority of the gamma rays and beta particles will be stopped by the ozone layer before they reach the ground.

Why:We want to know how much we are being protected from harmful radiation in order to better understand our ozone layer and appreciate it.

Requirements Flow Down:Level Type Number Requirement

0 (MS)

O 1The BalloonSat shall ascend to an altitude of approximately

30 km during a flight of 90 minutes.

O 2The BalloonSat shall collect data related to radiation in near

space as a function of altitude.

O 3The BalloonSat shall be launched from Windsor, Colorado on

November 7, 2009 at 6:50 A.M.

O 4The total science cost of the BalloonSat shall not exceed

$100.00 and any amount over shall be covered by the team.

O 5 All safety precautions will be taken.

S 6 The BallonSat shall not weight more than 850 grams.

S 7The BalloonSat shall carry hardware that will collect data

during flight.

S 8All components of the BalloonSat shall be tested for

functionality.

1

O 1.1 The BallonSat shall remain intact throughout the entire flight.

O 1.2The BalloonSat shall withstand extreme external pressures

and temperatures during flight. Temperature will be regulated by the heater.

O 2.1The BalloonSat shall carry a Geiger counter that will detect

beta particles and gamma rays as a function of altitude.

O 3.1

O 4.1 Anthony Cangelosi will provide $73.95 for the excess cost.

O 5.1All directions will be followed when building the Geiger

counter.

Requirements Flow Down Continued:

1

O 5.2All safety procedures will be followed while conducting

every test.O 5.3 All directions will be followed on launch day.

S 6.1The Camera, AVR Board, Heater, HOBO, 2 AA Batteries, 3 x 9 Alkaline Batteries, and 2 x 9 Volt Lithium Batteries shall

weigh 500g.

S 6.2

The Geiger Counter, Foam Core, Switches, Aluminum Tape, Glue, Insulation, a 9 Volt Lithium Battery, Plastic tubing, Anti-abrasion Washers, and 2 Paperclips shall not weigh

more than 350g.

S 7.1The BalloonSat HOBO data logger shall measure internal temperature, external temperature, and humidity with the

external temperature cable throughout the flight

S 7.2The AVR Board shall measure ascent and descent rates and

internal pressure throughout the flight.

S 7.3 The Camera shall take pictures throughout the flight.

S 8.1 The Geiger counter shall be tested by using a sealed source.

S 8.2The Geiger counter data from the sealed source shall be

tested, recorded, and analyzed before flight.

S 8.3The Camera, Heater, HOBO, and AVR Board shall be tested

individually for functionality.

S 8.4The entire system of hardware shall be assembled and tested

for functionality

S 8.5The structure will be whip, drop, stair pitch, cooler, vacuum,

and mission simulation tested.

Design:Our design:

The BalloonSat, Big Bang, will be a rectangular prism with dimensions 25x25x9 cm constructed from foam core. It will carry a GCK-05 Analog Geiger counter to an altitude of 30km recording counts to the AVR memory.

How we will complete our mission:We will build the Geiger counter from a kit and connect it to the AVR

board through one of the available analog inputs. The AVR microcontroller will be programmed to record the 0 or 5V signal onto it’s memory.

Parts:The Geiger counter will be ordered from Images Scientific Instruments

on Tuesday, October 6 and is expected to arrive within five days.

Budgets:Item

Weight (grams)

HOBO 30g

Canon A570IS & 2 AA Batteries

220g

AVR & 2 x 9 Volt Lithium Batteries

150g

Heater & 3 x 9 Volt Alkaline Batteries

100g

1 x 9 Volt Lithium Battery 33.8g

Geiger Counter 64g

Plastic Tubing Approx 11g

2 Paperclips Approx 2g

Foam core Structure 24g

Insulation 50g

Aluminum Tape 10g

Glue 20g

3 Switches 15g

Total = 729.8g

ItemWhere Item Will be

Purchased/Ordered FromPrice (U.S. dollars)

Analog Meter Geiger Counter (GCK-05 Model)

Images Scientific Instruments

(imagesco.com)

$148.95

9 Volt Battery (Geiger Counter) and Test Batteries

Office Depot$20.00

Dry Ice Safeway 5.00

Total = $173.95

Schedule:Design Complete Tuesday 9/15/09

Team meeting Wednesday 9/16/09Proposal Due Thursday 9/17/09Begin to acquire hardware and materials not ordered. Saturday 9/19/09

Team meeting Monday 9/21/09Proposal Presentation Due Tuesday 9/22/09Authority to Proceed – Order All Hardware – HW 4 Due. Tuesday 9/29/09

Team meeting Wednesday 9/30/09Begin Building Structure Thursday 10/1/09Team meeting Monday 10/5/09Acquire all necessary hardware Tuesday10/6/09Order Geiger counter Tuesday 10/6/09Team meeting Monday 10/12/09Acquire Geiger Counter Kit– Begin Building

Wednesday 10/14/09

Finish Geiger Counter Saturday 10/17/09Test Geiger counter Sunday 10/18/09

Team Meeting Monday 10/19/09Incorporate GC into structure Monday 10/19/09Finish building payload Wednesday 10/21/09Whip/Drop/Stair Pitch Tests/ Revisions where needed.

Thursday 10/22/09

Function Test, Cooler Test, Vacuum Test And Revisions

Friday 10/23/09

Pay Load Complete Ready to go – Tested Saturday 10/24/09Team meeting Monday 10/26/09Pre-Launch Inspection Tuesday 10/27/09In-Class Mission Simulation Test Thursday 10/29/09Finish BalloonSat Weigh in – Turn in Friday 11/6/09Launch Day Saturday 11/7/09Team meeting- extract data Monday 11/9/09Bring Raw flight data Tuesday 11/10/09Analyze Data Thursday 11/12/09Finish Analyzing Data Sunday 11/15/09Team meeting- Begin Final Presentation Monday 11/16/09Homework 5 due Thursday 11/19/09Finish Final Presentations Friday 11/27/09Presentations Due Tuesday 12/1/09Hardware Turn-in Tuesday 12/8/09Homework 6 Due Thursday 12/10/09

Proposal Requirements:RFP Requirement Compliance

Additional experiments, collection of data, analysis of data

Geiger counter, detecting and recording radiation, analysis with respect to altitude

Analog input not to exceed 5V Geiger counter data to be recorded from 0 to 5 Volts

Interface tube secured and not interfering with flight string

Plastic tube, anti-abrasion washers, and paperclips will be built into structure

Internal temperature remain above -10° C Heater shall regulate temperatureWeight not to exceed 850g Total weight is 729.8g

Acquire ascent and descent rates of flight string Data found by pressure readings

Design allows for HOBO, external temperature cable, Camera, AVR Microcontroller, heater system, and batteries.

All are incorporated into the BalloonSat design.

BalloonSat shall be made of foam core Incorporated into the design

Part list and budget shall include spare partsAn extra sheet of foam core and an extra plastic tube has been included as well as excess glue, tape, and paper clips. The Geiger counter cannot be replaced.

BalloonSat shall have contact information and an American flag.

This will be incorporated into the design on the outside of the foam core once the satellite has been finished.

All units shall be in metric All units in all design documents are in metric.

No one shall get hurtAll safety procedures and instructions shall be followed.

Testing:Post Assembly Functionality Test

Use headphones and background radiation to determine if the Geiger counter is working properly.

AVR – Geiger Counter Integration Test Take measurements of background radiation to

determine if the Geiger counter is properly integrated with the AVR board and if the AVR is programmed to take data properly.

Sensitivity Testing Using a sealed source of Cobalt-90, repeat the

integration test at various distances from the source and compare the results to expected 1/r^2 flux expectations.

Team Organization Chart:Name Tasks Systems Responsibilities

Colin Nugen Help with building, editing documents,

Structure, Science, Research, Power

Chelsea Welch Team leader. Finalize documents and reports, and help with building.

Structure, Research, Science, Electrical

Tully Baetz Conceptual design artist, help with building, editing of documents, team morale booster

C&DH, Research, Structure, Science

Charles Hartman

Structures: design, testing, integrating with other systems, research supplies

Research, Structure, Thermal, Science

Anthony Cangelosi

Budget, help with building and testing.

C&DH, Research, Science, Power

Elisabeth Moger

Electrical, building, and testing, and research

Science, Electrical, Power, Structure

Expected Results:We expect a steep nonlinear increase of counts per minute

up to an altitude of 15 km.After 15 km the counts per minute should drop off .

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/HBASE/astro/cosmic.html

Count rate

Altitude

Biggest Worries:Destruction of the Geiger counter

Early and careful assembly allowing extra time for replacement part ordering

Failing to arm the payloadArming with two people to double check its

statusFaulty programming

Program early so help can be sought if neededTime

Sticking to the schedule and performing tasks as early as possible