Near Space Program
The Near Space Program addresses all phases of operation that are required to design, build, launch and recover Near Space Vehicles. This also includes the necessary training, education and even outreach programs to achieve the goals of the program.
These payloads will be launched to “Near Space”, achieving altitudes of approximately 100,000 ft. using helium filled weather balloons. The balloons are designed to burst at a certain height, allowing the payload return to Earth by parachute.
The Near Space Vehicle is actually a system of several components. Broadly defined, a system is as an arrangement of parts or integrated set of elements interacting with each other that accomplish a defined objective within the system's boundaries.
Our goal is not to just to launch a high altitude balloon, but to successfully build, launch and recover a near space vehicle. And in the process, learn along the way. The project is designed to meet several objectives:
1. Teach the basics of electronics
2. Learn about microcontrollers and programming.
3. Use various sensors to collect information about its environment.
The program is broken into several phases, allowing us to take small steps as we work towards achieving our goals.
Phase 1 - Tracking and Location Payload
The purpose of the Tracking and Location Payload is to provide a light weight, reliable, stable platform that will provide periodic updates on its location, both during flight and after landing. This system is a completely self-contained Automatic Position Reporting System (APRS) and includes an independent power supply. Presently, the system consists of::
Once this system is finalized, there will rarely be any changes or modifications to this system to ensure it remains operational from flight to flight.