Students Accessing Space?
Madison Young
Issue date: 11/10/05 Section: News
In her talk, aptly titled "Student Access to Space," Dr. Georgia Richardson, Assistant Professor from the Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Department here at UAH, explored a unique program little known outside of the College of Engineering. In conjunction with the National Space Science and Technology Center and NASA, UAH often takes a major part in various experiments launched with various high altitude balloons.
Dr. Richardson began her lecture delving into one simple yet important application of high altitude balloon flights, proving for oneself that the Earth is in fact a sphere. A balloon sent up, as part of the BalloonSat program, in July of 2005, ascended to approximately 120,000 feet above the Earth where an ordinary, run-of-the-mill camera snapped photographs. From this altitude, it was possible to see the actual curvature of the Earth; all from a simple balloon. While the idea of proving that the planet is indeed a sphere is somewhat elementary, it does, in fact, demonstrate the awe-inspiring capabilities of the BalloonSat program.
While the basic balloon concept is still in place, the balloons used in this kind of operation are vastly different, both in construct and function. Essentially, as Dr. Richardson explained, the balloons used are created using thousands of sheets of a plastic, somewhat reminiscent of the kind used in packing lunches, connected with fiberglass. To put things into perspective, Richardson stated that the balloons at launch stand nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower, and at full inflation, can reach the volume of the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. These types of balloons are used by various agencies and research facilities for information regarding atmospheric science, astronomy, communications, and defense and surveillance. Along with the multiple of applications, there are several advantages ranging from cost to durations of flight. For these reasons and many others, NASA commonly uses these balloons for research.
UAH has been involved in several NASA and NSSTC launches, but students can also take part in these projects. The Deep Space Test Bed, for instance, was launched in May of 2005 as a trial for an experiment that will later take place around the Earth's poles. Attached to the Gondola, the payload of the balloon, was a UAH student-designed system built to measure the changes in balloon material temperature as it ascends to the stratosphere (26 miles above ground, approximately) and descends back to the ground.
Although these types of major launches generally involve the work of upperclassmen and graduate students, Dr. Richardson encourages all students to participate in the BalloonSat program. This past Saturday, in fact, students from an electrical engineering class sent off a balloon of their own from the parking lot of NSSTC. The balloon used may be of a slightly smaller scale, but the possibilities are still just as significant. Made of latex instead of the plastic wrap, the balloon ascends to its highest altitude and then bursts and falls back down. Currently, this group of faculty, students, and various other balloon advocates sends out only one per semester. With hopes of more student involvement, Dr. Richardson and others are trying to get a UAH Balloon club started. Even if you are an undergraduate, freshman political science major, this kind of activity can be both exciting and enlightening. It is an opportunity to learn new things, meet professionals in various fields, and get direct, hands-on experience while working with a team of peers. Anyone interested in this program can contact Dr. Richardson at richaga@eng.uah.edu or visit her website for more information at http://www.eng.uah.edu/~richaga/BalloonSat/
Dr. Richardson began her lecture delving into one simple yet important application of high altitude balloon flights, proving for oneself that the Earth is in fact a sphere. A balloon sent up, as part of the BalloonSat program, in July of 2005, ascended to approximately 120,000 feet above the Earth where an ordinary, run-of-the-mill camera snapped photographs. From this altitude, it was possible to see the actual curvature of the Earth; all from a simple balloon. While the idea of proving that the planet is indeed a sphere is somewhat elementary, it does, in fact, demonstrate the awe-inspiring capabilities of the BalloonSat program.
While the basic balloon concept is still in place, the balloons used in this kind of operation are vastly different, both in construct and function. Essentially, as Dr. Richardson explained, the balloons used are created using thousands of sheets of a plastic, somewhat reminiscent of the kind used in packing lunches, connected with fiberglass. To put things into perspective, Richardson stated that the balloons at launch stand nearly as tall as the Eiffel Tower, and at full inflation, can reach the volume of the Astrodome in Houston, Texas. These types of balloons are used by various agencies and research facilities for information regarding atmospheric science, astronomy, communications, and defense and surveillance. Along with the multiple of applications, there are several advantages ranging from cost to durations of flight. For these reasons and many others, NASA commonly uses these balloons for research.
UAH has been involved in several NASA and NSSTC launches, but students can also take part in these projects. The Deep Space Test Bed, for instance, was launched in May of 2005 as a trial for an experiment that will later take place around the Earth's poles. Attached to the Gondola, the payload of the balloon, was a UAH student-designed system built to measure the changes in balloon material temperature as it ascends to the stratosphere (26 miles above ground, approximately) and descends back to the ground.
Although these types of major launches generally involve the work of upperclassmen and graduate students, Dr. Richardson encourages all students to participate in the BalloonSat program. This past Saturday, in fact, students from an electrical engineering class sent off a balloon of their own from the parking lot of NSSTC. The balloon used may be of a slightly smaller scale, but the possibilities are still just as significant. Made of latex instead of the plastic wrap, the balloon ascends to its highest altitude and then bursts and falls back down. Currently, this group of faculty, students, and various other balloon advocates sends out only one per semester. With hopes of more student involvement, Dr. Richardson and others are trying to get a UAH Balloon club started. Even if you are an undergraduate, freshman political science major, this kind of activity can be both exciting and enlightening. It is an opportunity to learn new things, meet professionals in various fields, and get direct, hands-on experience while working with a team of peers. Anyone interested in this program can contact Dr. Richardson at richaga@eng.uah.edu or visit her website for more information at http://www.eng.uah.edu/~richaga/BalloonSat/