High Altitude Balloon Project

High Altitude Balloon Project March 11, 2006 Team: Michael Corbett (corbett.4@wright.edu) John Holtkamp (holtkamp.3@wright.edu) Jessica Williams (williams.244@wright.edu) Sean Stevens (stevens.40@wright.edu) Brian Wirick (wirick.5@wright.edu) Advisors: Dr. Mitch Wolff (mitch.wolff@wright.edu) Dr. Joseph Slater (joseph.slater@wright.edu) Dr. Ruby Mawasha (ruby.mawasha@wright.edu) Dr. Zhiqiang Wu (zhiqiang.wu@wright.edu) ME 490 491 Engineering Design Wright State University Dayton, OH

Abstract The goals of this project were to design and build a payload to be attached to a weather balloon that would reach an altitude of 100,000 feet and return safely to earth. The payload contained both experiments and tracking equipment such as a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver and amateur (HAM) radio. The payload was first launched to test the communication and tracking equipment and to define the launch procedures. The remaining launches were to contain the experiments and improved command module that implemented redundant tracking systems. Experiments that were performed included a solar cell study at high altitudes and altitude profiling of temperature, pressure, and humidity. This project used a collaboration of mechanical and electrical engineers to ensure that all components of the project were designed and working properly. The electrical engineers focused on a timer circuit for the camera, directional and omni-directional antennas, and the solar cell experiment. The mechanical engineers focused on designing the payload to withstand extreme conditions, creating a weather balloon filling mechanism, predicting the flight path of the balloon, developing the balloon tracking method, integrating all systems, and designing other experiments. This project established the high altitude balloon program at Wright State University. The experiments performed were significant for a variety of reasons. Very little testing has been done on solar cells at high altitudes and this project helped increase the knowledge base. Determining the effects of low temperature, pressure, and humidity on the electronics can also aid in the development of more robust systems. 2

Introduction Weather balloons have been used for many years by meteorologists to study weather patterns in the upper atmosphere. Recently there has been increasing interest in other studies that could be performed using weather balloons in near space environment. The exact definition varies, but near space is often considered the area of the earth s atmosphere between approximately 100,000 and 200,000 feet 1. Universities and other scientific institutes, such as University of Montana and NASA Glenn Explorer Post, Cleveland, OH, have been developing programs that build experimental payloads so that they can analyze the data gathered after a successful launch. The goal of this senior design project was to develop a ballooning program for Wright State University. There are several areas of interest in high altitude balloon experiments. These include radiation effects on solar cells, wireless communication, guidance, and detailed maps of atmospheric conditions in relation to altitude. This wide span of information could be used in many areas such as for military aircraft and for natural disaster rescue teams. High bandwidth wireless communication between the ground and the balloon, as well as between multiple balloons could be used to design communication methods and systems between high altitude unmanned air vehicles (UAV). There is also hope that balloons could be used in natural disaster situations (for example, the aftermath of hurricane Katrina) as temporary communication towers for cell phones. Balloon launches currently are at the mercy of the speed and direction of the jet stream winds. Because of the uncontrollable nature of the winds, balloon launches have uncertainty in the landing location of the payload. A guidance system would be able to direct the payload to land in an unpopulated area and away from any bodies of water. If 3

this could be implemented, then retrieval time for the payload would be greatly reduced, the chance of recovery would be significantly higher, and the distance that the payload travels would no longer be determined solely by the high altitude winds. In direct correlation with a guidance system, a method to extend flight time would also lend itself useful to data collection and as a temporary communication hub. One possible method to guide the payload is to maneuver the balloon in and out of different wind currents, blowing it one direction first and then in another direction. This could be achieved through the use of ballast released at proper times, and by bleeding helium out of the balloon at designated altitudes. Guiding the balloon in this manner could gain additional hours of flight time to collect experimental data. Unfortunately, adding a system with ballasts could cause the payload to weigh much more than the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) twelve pound maximum weight regulation. Therefore, this method cannot be tested while staying with this type of balloon payload. Solar cell research at high altitudes would provide valuable information as well. Knowing how solar cells perform in the near space environment will allow companies to modify their products to be suitable for these extreme conditions. If solar cells can be designed to perform well with the increase of radiation at around sixty to seventy thousand feet, they may be used as an auxiliary power source for high altitude military aircraft. Solar cells may also be a potential source of power for balloon payloads. This would remove the need to have heavy batteries powering all equipment and provide more room for experiments. The experiments to obtain temperature, humidity, and pressure data at different altitudes could help to bring about a more up to date temperature, humidity, and pressure 4

profile. Research indicates that it has been nearly 50 years 2 since data has been gathered for this type of study and it is unknown whether the data is accurate for all seasons of the year. If future groups could launch a payload at different times throughout the year, accurate plots could be made for altitudes up to 100,000 feet for the entire year. With this information, companies designing aeronautical systems would be able to account for specific atmospheric conditions at various altitudes during any of the seasons to develop products that are more robust. Design Problem and Approach There were multiple tasks that needed to be completed to make the project a success. The first and biggest task was designing a command module that would withstand extreme environmental conditions and transmit GPS coordinates to aid the team in recovering the payload once it had been launched. Other tasks included designing a balloon filling mechanism, choosing how to connect the payload components together, deciding which balloons, gas, and parachutes to use, constructing a gas tank transport crate, creating pre-launch and launch procedures, and designing initial experiments to be performed. The first steps taken in the project were to assemble the team and brainstorm on the approaches and experiments to be performed. Some of the experiments proposed for the project were solar cell studies of voltage and current at high altitudes, guiding the payload to land in a desired location, achieving high bandwidth communication with the ground, taking temperature, pressure, and humidity measurements during flight, and taking pictures from the payload for publicity purposes. A timeline was then set for the 5

completion of tasks, and duties were assigned to team members. The breakdown of the initial timeline and responsibilities are shown in Tables 1 and 2 in the Appendix. After more research had been done and progress was slowed due to uncontrollable factors, it was decided that some of the tasks would not be possible to complete in the timeframe allotted. The actual time line of accomplishments and outline of responsibilities are shown in Tables 3 and 4 of the Appendix. Once the group came to a consensus concerning the desired outcomes of the project, research began to determine the best way to proceed. Presently, there are a few colleges such as the University of Cincinnati (UC) 3 and the University of Kentucky 4 which are launching similar high altitude balloons and performing their own experiments. There are also many simpler projects being done by an Explorer Post affiliated with NASA Glenn Research Center 5 and other such institutions. Each group designs and performs experiments and builds off of other groups successes and failures. This communication and sharing of information rather than being in strict competition allows future projects to evolve and to be more successful. For instance, the Wright State University group visit to UC provided insight into designing and building the payload box, as well as in choosing the core electronics such as the HAM radios. Though many of the parts purchased for the current project were different than the ones used by UC, it was helpful to have an idea of what to look for or avoid. UC was also able to give advice on testing the GPS prior to launch and using a pre-launch checklist. Several of the Wright State team members also witnessed a launch performed by the aforementioned Explorer group. Being present at a launch provided valuable information regarding launch procedures, time frames, and necessary supplies. 6

There were a number of design constraints in constructing and launching a payload. The first regulations that needed to be considered were outlined by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Title 49 US Code 14 CFR part 101 6. The FAA regulations give specific limits on the weight of the payload. The payload could not weigh more than 12 pounds total, with no more than 6 pounds for a single box. This was to ensure that if a plane would hit it, no significant damage would be done to the plane. A light payload was also optimal for experimental purposes because it had a better chance of reaching 100,000 feet since the balloon did not have to be inflated as much to provide the required lift. There were also restrictions on the string used to attach the components to each other and to the balloon. The string had to break under a 50 pound load. If the balloon was to be launched at night, it must have a flashing beacon on it that would be visible from five miles away. Some of the guidelines also specified the launch conditions. The balloon could not be launched over a populated area or if there was more than 50% cloud cover. The operating environment limited the way the payload could be built. The box needed to be lightweight, yet strong enough to take the impact of hitting the ground with the velocity dictated by the parachute. The walls of the payload also needed to be a thermal insulator in order to keep the inside of the box at an acceptable temperature for the electronics. This meant that a process had to be used to make the insulating material stronger and heat transfer involving conduction, convection, and radiation on all sides of the box needed to be considered. The main economic consideration for this project was to stay within a reasonable budget and not to waste monetary resources. The starting budget was $3000, but 7

additional money became available later into the project. While this budget might seem gtenerous, many of the parts needed were expensive. The majority of the parts were onetime purchases. Once a payload command box was assembled, it could be reused for future launches if it was recovered. The start-up expenses included: HAM radios for the balloon payload command boxes Foxhunting beacon Mobile HAM radio ground unit Receivers and directional antennas for foxhunting GPS receivers and antennas for the payloads Hand-held GPS receiver for tracking down the balloon Laptop to run predictions, record data, and connect to the HAM radio for APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) 7 tracking Microprocessors Parachutes and string Cameras and timer circuits Screamer circuit for locating the box after landing Payload box construction materials Each launch required a balloon and sufficient Helium to fill the balloon until it provided enough lift. Each of the experiments had a cost associated with it as well. A detailed break down of the expenses can be seen in Table 5 of the Appendix. 8

Calculations and Testing To try to keep all of the components within their optimal operating conditions, the walls of the payload box were made of materials with high thermal resistivity. A thermal analysis was performed on the walls of the box to determine how cold the inside temperatures of the box would be. This was done using the ANSYS finite element analysis package. The procedure to set up the problem to analyze the heat transfer through the walls of the payload can be found in the Appendix. Once a solution was obtained, the temperatures throughout the payload box could be seen. A picture showing how the temperature varies throughout the box has been included in the Appendix (Figure 1 is a view of the inside of the box, Figure 2 is a view of the outside of the box). In order to do the analysis, it was necessary to know certain constants such as the heat transfer coefficient of the different faces of the box and the thermal conductivity of the Styrofoam that made up the walls of the box. The thermal conductivity was calculated using the resistivity of the Styrofoam. This resistivity was labeled on the Styrofoam when it was purchased. To find the thermal conductivity, the thickness of the material was divided by the resistivity. In the case of the payload box, the material was 2 hours* F* inches 0.5 inches thick and the resistivity was 3.3 BTU. In order to solve for the heat transfer coefficients relating to the different surfaces of the payload, Fundamentals of Heat and Mass Transfer 8 was used as a resource. Detailed hand calculations showing how the coefficients were computed can be found in the Appendix. 9

Once the values for the heat transfer coefficients and the thermal conductivity were determined, they could be used in the analysis in ANSYS. All of the faces on the inside and outside of the box had heat transfer coefficients set for them. The temperature on the outside of the box was set at -70 C, which was the lowest temperature the payload was expected to experience. The pictures seen in the Appendix (Figures 1 and 2) show only 1/8 of the entire box. It was possible to analyze the entire box using just this portion because the box was symmetric about three planes. All of the thin edges, where the rest of the box would be attached to the analyzed portion, had the thermal gradient set to zero. This boundary condition tells the program that the portion of the box that was drawn was a piece of a whole, symmetric object. Once the analysis was completed, the different temperatures the inside faces of the box reached could be seen. The center of each face on the payload box had the warmest temperature on the surface of the box and the corner had the coolest temperature on the surface. Looking at the colored bar along the bottom of the page, the correlation between temperatures and color could be seen. This analysis helped the team to see how effective the walls of the payload box would be in keeping the electronics from reaching temperatures below their operating ranges. Calculations were also performed to determine the size of the parachute that was needed to carry a payload of 12 pounds to the ground with a maximum landing speed of 15 feet per second. The volume and type of gas to be used in the balloon to provide the amount of lift necessary to carry the payload was determined as well. Equations derived 10

in Fluid Dynamics were used to perform these calculations. The basic equations used were: Ideal Gas Law: P = mrt Buoyancy: F B = ρ g air balloon Drag Coefficient: C D = F D 1 ρ V 2 2 A In the above equations, P is the pressure, is the volume, m is the mass, R is the gas constant, T is the temperature, F B B is the buoyancy force, ρ is the density, g is the acceleration due to gravity, C D is the drag coefficient, F D is the drag force, V is the velocity, and A is the area. Detailed calculations can be found in the Appendix. The results showed that a parachute with a 6.35 foot diameter was needed. The two gases that were compared were helium and hydrogen. The calculations showed that less hydrogen would be needed to create the desired lift and would be less expensive. To create the 3 3 same amount of lift, 282.44 ft of helium would be needed or 261.629 ft of hydrogen. For safety reasons, helium was selected for use in the balloons despite the lower cost of hydrogen. As mentioned previously, the temperature inside the payload box needed to be maintained at a moderate level in order to ensure the electronic equipment could function properly. The components of the payload were tested in a freezer to ensure that they could withstand the expected temperatures outside of the box at 100,000 feet which could reportedly 2 range from 70 to 100 degrees Celsius (shade side and sun side of the box, respectively). Although temperatures inside the payload were not expected to reach these extreme temperatures, components were chosen that would perform the best in a broad 11

range of temperatures. For the first payload constructed, different types of batteries were tested with some of the components in a freezer that maintained a temperature of -13 C. The types of batteries tested were Nickel-Metal Hydride, Alkaline, and Nickel Cadmium. The batteries were each placed in the freezer for 2.5 hours, which is the expected flight time of the payload during a launch. Voltages were tested every 15 minutes to determine the performance of the battery. At the end of the tests, it was determined that Nickel- Metal Hydride performed the best and would be used to power the electronics of the payload. Tabulated results of these tests can be seen in Table 6 of the Appendix. When constructing the second payload, component and system level tests were performed using dry ice. Dry ice is able to maintain a temperature of -78.5 C. The air surrounding the dry ice in a cooler was measured to be an average of -45 C. In the tests with the dry ice, in addition to testing the robustness of the payload components, lithium ion 9-V batteries were tested in comparison to alkaline 9-V batteries over the duration of approximately three hours. At the end of the three hours, the voltages of the alkaline and lithium ion batteries exposed directly to the air in the cooler showed that the lithium ion batteries performed significantly better in extreme cold. The lithium ion batteries initially read 8.9 V, and after 3 hours dropped down to 7.8 V. The alkaline batteries initially read 9.2 V, and after 3 hours dropped down to less than 3 V. First Launch For the initial launch, some of the tasks that needed to be completed included choosing equipment, designing and constructing the fill valve and the payload box, disassembling a camera and attaching it to a timer circuit, integrating a GPS system with 12

a HAM radio, getting a HAM radio license, running pre-launch predictions, and choosing a launch site. The timer circuit was needed on the camera so pictures could be taken at a set interval over a designated time period. The GPS tracking system needed the GPS chip, an antenna to receive information from satellites so that its location could be determined, and a HAM radio to communicate with the ground. A Technician Class (or higher) licensed radio amateur must be present to oversee the use of the HAM radio to transmit GPS data. A fill valve and nozzle needed to be designed and built to be able to get the helium from 244 cubic foot tanks into the weather balloon. Predictions also needed to be made based on wind patterns to determine where the payload would land if it was launched. The first steps taken were to research and purchase equipment for the payload box and equipment for the ground. The payload box was to include a GPS receiver, a transmitter, a temperature measuring device, a camera, and a screamer circuit. A Garmin 15L was chosen for the GPS. The 15L was able to run on low voltages between 3.5 and 5.5 volts. A Kenwood TH-D7A was chosen to be used as the transmitter. This particular HAM radio was picked because it contained a built in TNC (terminal node controller). The TNC is a device that can translate the text strings received from the GPS into a signal that could be transmitted over the national APRS frequency (144.390 MHz). It could also be used for custom packet operation on any allowed frequency in the 2 meter band. A digital camera was selected because more pictures could be stored and all components of the camera would be reusable. To take the pictures, a timer circuit was connected to the camera so a picture would be taken once a minute. An Onset HOBO Temperature Logger 9 was selected to measure the temperature both inside and outside the box. The 13

HOBO is a small device that had an internal thermistor and the ability to attach an external thermocouple. It would record the temperatures in pre-selected time intervals to onboard memory. These temperatures could later be extracted with the use of a computer. The screamer circuit was made from a dissected smoke detector and was to be used to help locate the payload once it had landed. The box itself was constructed out of 1.5 inch thick foam insulation that had an R- value of 13. The inside of the box was a 9 inch cube and the Auto Cad design of the walls can be seen in Figures 1 and 2 of the Appendix. The foam was coated with Monokote to increase the structural properties of the walls and the chances of the box surviving impact. The equipment was attached to peg board that formed an X inside the box. The X shape of the peg board was used to increase the structural integrity of the box. A covering was made for the box out of rip-stop nylon (design found in Figure 3 of the Appendix). The covering had D-rings sewn onto it to connect the box to the reducing ring and to more payload boxes together in series. A diagram of the entire balloon assembly can be seen in Figure 4 of the Appendix. Once the payload box was constructed, the entire package was kicked down a flight of stairs. This was to test the durability of the box, components, and connections between components. During the system level testing, problems were encountered with both the HAM radio and the GPS receiver. The HAM radio would occasionally get into a loop where it continually reset itself. Further investigation showed that the voltage going into the radio from the battery would drop to zero and then go back up to 7.8V. The radio would then reset itself. It was discovered that a HAM radio battery would do this if its charge was too close to depletion. Fully recharging the battery would resolve 14

the problem. The GPS that was being used, a Garmin 15L, had more severe problems. The first GPS purchased broke in-between tests. It stopped updating the coordinates and output only zeros. The reason why it started malfunctioning was never determined, and the chip was sent back to the manufacturer for replacement. The second GPS chip that was received was plugged in and output a coordinate for a location in Taiwan. Once the GPS was reset with the aid of a computer, it was able to acquire satellites and output a valid longitude, latitude, and altitude. Unfortunately, this GPS chip had a tendency to lock up once power was removed. It was possible to quickly fix the problem by resetting the chip. Once these problems were resolved, the communication system was fully functional. In order to pick a launch site, wind data from the past ten years was analyzed and put through a path prediction program called Balloon Track 10 to make predictions of where the balloon was to land. Depending on the strength of the winds at higher altitudes, the balloon could travel 300 or more miles during its short (approximately 2.5-3 hour) flight. The prediction data was used to create a scatter plot of potential landing locations. A single prediction run could be plotted using Google Maps, Yahoo Maps, or a similar Internet based mapping software from within Balloon Track. For multiple points, Xastir 11 was used. Xastir is an open-source APRS mapping and tracking package that is a native Linux application. An X-Windows emulation environment was set up on the laptop dedicated for the balloon project. Xastir was the same program that was used for tracking the balloon during flight. County maps were downloaded from the US Census Bureau 12 for the areas of interest. Example plots showing flight predictions can be found in Figures 5 and 6 of the Appendix. After reviewing a large range of 15

predictions, it was decided that a balloon launch would be canceled if the most recent upper air wind forecast contained any five data points with winds above 100 knots, or any one data point with winds above 120 knots. The first launch took place on January 15, 2006. The balloon was launched from the municipal airport in Portland, IN. There was less than 5% cloud cover and the surface winds were less than one mile per hour. The temperature outside was -6 C (22 F). The balloon took approximately 45 minutes to fill and used slightly more than one tank of helium (one tank contains 244 cubic feet helium) to achieve the desired lift. An equation from the Montana Space Grant Consortium web site 13 was used to determine the weight of the counter balance. The counterbalance was used to determine when the balloon had enough lift. Empirical data was used to create the following equation: Counter Weight = 1.2*(weight payload + weight parachute + weight balloon) weight balloon Equipment checks were made once all of the batteries and antennas were attached. All components appeared to be working and the tracking program on the laptop computer was receiving coordinates from the GPS. The release of the balloon occurred around 9:10 A.M. The release went smoothly and the balloon went almost straight up. Once the payload was in the air, it had a pendulum motion as it ascended. The first fifteen minutes of the flight went according to plan. The ground unit was able to successfully track the movements of the payload. Once the balloon reached approximately 11,000 feet, the transmissions received stopped updating. Repeater stations throughout Ohio and Indiana were able to receive the packets transmitted by the onboard radio and record them on the Internet. An analysis of these packets showed that for approximately four hours the payload transmitted the same 16

coordinates, altitude, and velocity. By using knowledge of which repeaters logged packets and the wind prediction data, the location of the payload was estimated to be east of Cincinnati, OH. While no one has called to say that our first box has been found, there is still hope that someone will contact Wright State. Once the payload is retrieved, the data stored on board will be analyzed. The packets that were received from the GPS before it locked-up were analyzed and compared to the wind data collected from the weather station at Wilmington, OH 14. The data analysis from the first launch can be seen in Figures 7 and 8 of the Appendix. The general trend was that the payload moved slightly slower than the wind speed due to drag. The direction of the flight was not completely with the wind. Both the flight path and the wind direction were toward the southeast, but the correlation was less than expected. This was due to two factors: 1. The GPS data was not updated frequently enough to be very accurate. 2. The payload was swinging below the balloon in a pendulum type motion as the entire system moved in a southeast direction. This would add some error to the direction that the GPS indicated the system was moving. Remaining Launches After the first launch, results were gathered and hypotheses were made regarding the failure of the command box. Some of these ideas included failure of the GPS chip, failure of the HAM radio, broken wire connections, or low voltages and currents supplied by the batteries. Any one of these ideas, or a combination of them, was a possible mode 17

of failure. More research was done concerning failures related to GPS systems and it was concluded that the GPS probably locked up. In order to avoid this problem on a future launch, it was decided to include redundant GPS systems in one payload, as well as a constant tone beacon to be utilized in foxhunting as a backup tracking system. A Parallax BASIC Stamp 15 was set up to manage sensor data (temperature, pressure, and humidity), and acquire coordinates from three different GPS chips. This information was transmitted directly to a computer on the ground via HAM radios and was also stored on the BASIC Stamp for analysis when the payload was recovered or in case there would be a problem transmitting it to the ground in real time. The code pertaining to the GPS information and sensor input was written entirely by the group. The BASIC Stamp Syntax and Reference Manual 16 and online help through forums 17 were used as references to speed up the learning process since no member of the group had worked with a BASIC Stamp microprocessor prior to this project. The source code for the programs used to reset the Stamp, read the contents of the memory, and run the main storage and transmission loop are included in the Appendix. A fourth GPS chip was used to transmit to the APRS digipeater network. A digipeater is a digital repeating station that is set up to receive data packets transmitted, and retransmit them to increase the range over which the packet can be received. The APRS packet eventually reaches an IGate (Internet Gateway), which puts the information on the Internet, cataloged by both the call sign of the HAM operator and by the time and date. If the team s receiving antenna became unable to pick up the transmissions because 18

the payload was out of range, the information could be accessed later to track the flight path. Foxhunting was implemented as a backup system in case all the GPS chips failed. The system was set up so a beacon would transmit a pattern of tones in Morse code (.--.....- / -....-.-...-.. --- --- -. which translates to WSU Balloon ) that could be picked up by the use of directional antennas. With several directional antennas, the group would be able to figure out where the transmitter was located. This is done by having antennas at different locations. Each antenna is slowly swept in an arc while being held horizontally in front of the user. The user listens for when the signal is strongest and gets a general idea as to what direction the transmission is coming from relative to their position. Each person using a directional antenna for foxhunting should have a compass. The compass is to be used with a map to plot the best direction in order to narrow down the search area. It is vital that everyone involved with foxhunting stay in communication because each reported direction is considered simultaneously to determine where the transmitter is. Using all of these methods, it was the hope of the group that the second payload would be found once it was launched. On March 4th, 2006, the group headed to Huntington, Indiana with hopes to have a successful launch and recovery. The balloon was inflated while the rest of the group worked on testing the GPS system with the BASIC Stamp. The previous night the entire system had been tested and worked perfectly, but at the launch site the GPS chips were not functioning correctly. After three and a half hours it was discovered that two of the GPS antennas were too close to each 19

other. This close proximity caused them to jam all the GPS receivers in a 200 foot radius. The problem was fixed, but by that time, the batteries in the HAM radios had been used for too long and were judged not to be dependable for an entire flight. Preparations are being made for another launch attempt. On the next launch, the electrical engineers in the group will be implementing a solar cell test which will be monitoring the current and voltage output of solar cells placed on the outside walls of the payload box. Pressure, humidity, and additional temperature readings will be taken as well. Once a launch is successfully performed and the data acquired from the launch is analyzed, the Wright State University Balloon Program will have been successfully established and the members of the group will consider the project a success. Future Goals Though the group has accomplished much in the process of establishing the Wright State University High Altitude Balloon Program, there were many ideas for experiments that were unable to be implemented into a flight because the course only lasted two quarters. The following list contains examples of these experiments: A propulsion system to guide the balloon back toward Wright State University An air release valve to control when and at what altitude the balloon will burst Tests involving wireless communication between two balloons that are launched simultaneously 20

An experiment where a small plane, powered by solar cells, with inflatable wings would be launched from the payload Initially the group hoped to implement some, if not all, of these experiments into the project, but it became apparent that this would not be possible due to time constraints. The proposed experiments are projects that can be undertaken by future groups. Starting a High Altitude Ballooning program at Wright State University was a challenging task. Advice was taken from other groups, but there was much the Wright State group had to learn on their own. Now that the Wright State group has started the program, they have been able to share the information gathered through research and system checks to help other groups, such as Cedarville University, start their own programs. Five students and an advisor came to Wright State to get ideas of what a balloon project might entail. The mechanical engineers from the Wright State group spoke to them about Wright State program. Information was given regarding payload construction and communications to prevent them from struggling with the same problems faced in this project. It is the desire of the current group that future Wright State groups will communicate with other local schools to help others and get ideas on how to improve their own program. Organizations such as Central State University and AFIT (Air Force Institute of Technology) have shown interest in the Wright State program. It was intended that one of Wright State s launches would have tests from another organization implemented into Wright State s payload. Unfortunately, this was not able to happen in the time frame of this project. While giving a presentation on the balloon project at DCASS (Dayton- Cincinnati Aerospace Sciences Symposium) on March 8, 2006, AFIT expressed interest 21

in testing long range 802.11 wireless communication in a future launch. There could be some interaction between Wright State and AFIT in the future to perform different system experiments. With a working payload, specific launching procedures and guidelines in place, future groups will be able to start designing more advanced and detailed experiments. It would be in the best interest of future groups to spend the first several weeks going through the process of researching the components being used in the command box and rebuilding the exact payload box and system that the current Wright State group had made. This will increase their understanding of how the system works, and how experiments can be integrated into the current system. It will also give them an understanding of the assembly so more payloads could be constructed if one became damaged or unrecoverable. Conclusion The Wright State Balloon project began with the expectation that it would be a straightforward process to create a program for launching payloads, and within two quarters, complex tests could be integrated into the system to be performed during a flight. It became clear as the first box was being designed and built that the project entailed more development and design aspects than the group had anticipated. After the unfortunate loss of the first payload, it was determined that the complex tests planned for would most likely not make it into one of the current group s launches. Instead, the current group decided to focus on establishing the program and a detailed system in 22

which launches could take place with a significantly greater chance of recovering the payload. The failed recovery was analyzed and different modes of failure were suggested. The weak areas in the original design were investigated and improvements were made to the system to create a more robust communications box. Studies were performed on GPS chips and their high failure rate. It was soon realized that a single GPS chip was not reliable enough to depend on it as the only means of locating a payload. The decision was made to implement multiple GPS chips from different manufacturers in the same payload. Also, the group began looking into foxhunting. This way, a failure of any single component would not cause the payload box to be unrecoverable, and future groups would have a better idea of which GPS chips performed the best in high altitude applications. Most of the components in the new payload were integrated with a BASIC Stamp. The BASIC Stamp is a microprocessor that is able to store information from the flight, and could be used for future groups to perform basic algorithms to control their experiments. Learning how to use the Stamp, wiring the circuit, and writing code for it to be integrated with multiple GPS chips and sensors was a time consuming task. This is just a small example of how the work that has been done in the last two quarters has established the program. Despite the fact that not all the experiments that were originally planned could be accomplished in the given timeframe, the work that has been done by the group has been invaluable. The Wright State Balloon group is proud to say they have successfully established the Wright State Balloon Program that can be continued for years to come. 23

1 Samson, Victoria. "Space Security." CDI Center for Defense Information. 25 Sept. 2003. <http://www.cdi.org/friendlyversion/printversion.cfm?documentid=1726>. 2 "U.S. Standard Atmosphere 1976." United States Committee on Extension. 05 Oct. 2005 <http://modelweb.gsfc.nasa.gov/atmos/us_standard.html>. 3 Urbaniak, Matthew. "Getting Started, Overview and Suggestions/Lessons Learned." University of Cincinnati, OH. 28 Sept. 2005. 4 "Big Blue 3." 30 Apr. 2005. University of Kentucky. <http://www.engr.uky.edu/bigblue/index.php>. 5 Schilling, Herb. "Explorers Post 632 - BalloonSat." NASA. 29 Sept. 2005 <http://explorersposts.grc.nasa.gov/post632>. 6 "Electronic Code of Federal Regulations." 27 July 2005. National Archives and Records Administration. 10 Oct. 2005 <http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/textidx?c=ecfr&sid=e2c906490f4ce4ab73256388a218eb0d&rgn=div5&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.3.1 5&idno=14>. 7 Automatic Position Reporting System. 24 Sept. 2001. 09 Oct. 2005 <http://web.usna.navy.mil/~bruninga/aprs.html>. 8 Dewitt, David P., and Frank P. Incropera. Fundamentals of Heat Transfer. 5th ed. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons, 2002. 9 Onset. 10 May 2005. 20 Oct. 2005 <http://www.onsetcomp.com/>. 10 Von Glahn, Rick. "Balloon Track for Windows." 10 Dec. 2004. Edge of Space Sciences. 14 Oct. 2005 <http://www.eoss.org/wbaltrak/>. 11 XASTIR. 1 Nov. 2005. 17 Oct. 2005 <http://www.xastir.org/>. 12 "2005 First Edition TIGER/Line Files." 1 Dec. 2005. U.S. Census Bureau. <http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tiger2005fe/tgr2005fe.html>. 13 Allen, Jacqueline. "Borealis: The Montana Space Grant Consortium High Altitude Balloon Program." Montana Space Grant Consortium. 29 Sept. 2005 <http://spacegrant.montana.edu/borealis/>. 14 Oolman, Larry. "Weather." University of Wyoming. <http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/sounding.html>. 15 Parallax. 2002. 20 Oct. 2005 <http://www.parallax.com/>. 16 Martin, Jeff, Jon Williams, Ken Gracey, Artistides Alvarez, and Stephanie Lindsay. Basic Stamp Syntax and Reference Manual. 2005. 7-486. 17 Corbett, Michael W. "Converting a Digital Temperature Reading to ASCII Values." Parallac. 24 Feb. 2006. 24 Feb. 2006 <Basic Stamp>. 24

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"HIH-4000-003." Honeywell. 2004. <http://catalog.sensing.honeywell.com/printfriendly.asp?fam=humiditymoisture &PN=HIH-4000-003>. Holtkamp, John C. "Questions about Handheld Ham Radios." Eham.net. 08 Feb. 2006. 08 Feb. 2006 <MobileHam>. Holtkamp, John C. "Signal Generator." Eham.net. 15 Feb. 2006. 15 Feb. 2006 <FoxHunting>. "Image 20." Chart. The Spcae Science Division at the Naval Research Lab. 05 Oct. 2005 <http://spacescience.nrl.navy.mil/images/image20.gif>. "INTRODUCTION TO UPPER ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE." Naval Research Lab. 05 Oct. 2005 <http://spacescience.nrl.navy.mil/introupatmsci.html>. Kroo, Ilan. "Standard Atmosphere Computations." 14 Apr. 1997. Aircraft Aerodynamics and Design Group. 05 Oct. 2005 <http://aero.stanford.edu/stdatm.html> Martin, Jeff, Jon Williams, Ken Gracey, Artistides Alvarez, and Stephanie Lindsay. Basic Stamp Syntax and Reference Manual. 2005. 7-486. Monokote. 1996. 20 Oct. 2005 <http://www.monokote.com/>. Onset. 10 May 2005. 20 Oct. 2005 <http://www.onsetcomp.com/>. Oolman, Larry. "GFS Maps." University of Wyoming. <http://weather.uwyo.edu/models/fcst/index.html?model=gfs003>. Oolman, Larry. "Weather." University of Wyoming. <http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/sounding.html>. Parallax. 2002. 20 Oct. 2005 <http://www.parallax.com/>.

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Appendix

Figure 1: ANSYS steady state heat transfer solution. The inside of a 1/8 portion of the box is shown.

Figure 2: ANSYS steady state heat transfer solution. The outside of a 1/8 portion of the box is shown.

Figure 3: Puzzle piece design of the first payload box. The second payload box was a similar design but the exact dimensions were adjusted due to the different foam thickness.

Figure 4: Scale drawings of the first payload box including dimensions. The second payload box was a similar design but the exact dimensions were adjusted due to the different foam thickness.

Figure 5: Rip-stop nylon cover for the payload. Dimensions were shown so that the cover could be sewn to exact specifications to provide a snug fit around the box.

Balloon Parachute Reducing Ring Payload Box Antenna Figure 6: Diagram (not to scale) of the entire system.

Figure 7: Predictions for 10 years of data for the target November launch date +/- 4 days. The launch location was Ft. Wayne, IN. The clustering of landing sites near Lake Erie suggested that the launch site should be moved further south in Indiana.

Figure 8: Predictions for the first launch. The launch location is Portland, IN. The wind data is from the morning of the actual launch. Mapped predictions are based on Balloon Track (marked BT ) and a custom-made model (marked M ) analyses.

Speed vs Altitude 70.0 60.0 50.0 Speed (mph) 40.0 30.0 20.0 10.0 Wind File GPS 0.0 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 Altitude (ft.) Figure 9: Speed reported by the GPS receiver and transmitted to the ground plotted versus altitude. It is compared with the wind speed since the balloon should move approximately with the wind speed. The values are consistently below the wind data due to drag.

Direction vs Altitude 200 180 160 140 Direction (degrees) 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 Altitude (ft.) Wind File GPS Figure 10: Heading reported by the GPS receiver and transmitted to the ground versus altitude. It is compared with the wind direction since the balloon should move approximately with the wind. The correlation between the GPS flight path and the wind data path was less than expected, but both suggest the balloon moved roughly toward the southeast.

03/06/06 Week 27 03/13/06 Week 28 Fall Quarter Christmas Break Winter Quarter 09/05/05 Week 1 09/12/05 Week 2 09/19/05 Week 3 09/26/05 Week 4 10/03/05 Week 5 10/10/05 Week 6 10/17/05 Week 7 10/24/05 Week 8 10/31/05 Week 9 11/07/05 Week 10 11/14/05 Week 11 11/21/05 Week 12 11/28/05 Week 13 12/05/05 Week 14 12/12/10 Week 15 12/19/05 Week 16 12/26/05 Week 17 01/02/06 Week 18 01/09/06 Week 19 01/16/06 Week 20 01/23/06 Week 21 01/30/06 Week 22 02/06/06 Week 23 02/13/06 Week 24 02/20/06 Week 25 02/27/06 Week 26 Choosing Project Brain Storming Forming Team Landing Predictions 1st launch 11/28/05-11/29/05 2nd launch 02/11/06 3rd launch 03/04/06 Budget for 1st launch Ordering for 1st launch Building Controls Box Camera Timer Data Storage Filling Valve HAM License Thermocouples Solar Cell Experiment Air Release Valve Parachute Deploy Tethered Balloons Alternative Comunications Guidance System/Device Object Launched off Antenna Box Design Pressure/Humidity Readings Thermal Analysis Analysis of Results Table 1: Old Gantt Chart timeline.

Original Mike John Jessica Brian Sean Camera Timer x x xx - Primary Data Storage x x x - Secondary Filling Valve x xx Thermocouples xx x x x Solar Cell Experiment x xx xx Air Release Valve x xx Parachute Deploy x xx Tethered Balloons x x x Alternative Communications xx x x Guidance System/Device xx Object Launched off xx Predictions xx x Antenna xx x Box Design xx x Pressure/Humidity Readings x xx Thermal Analysis xx x Table 2: Old responsibilities list.

03/06/06 Week 27 Fall Quarter Christmas Break Winter Quarter 09/05/05 Week 1 09/12/05 Week 2 09/19/05 Week 3 09/26/05 Week 4 10/03/05 Week 5 10/10/05 Week 6 10/17/05 Week 7 10/24/05 Week 8 10/31/05 Week 9 11/07/05 Week 10 11/14/05 Week 11 11/21/05 Week 12 11/28/05 Week 13 12/05/05 Week 14 12/12/10 Week 15 12/19/05 Week 16 12/26/05 Week 17 01/02/06 Week 18 01/09/06 Week 19 01/16/06 Week 20 01/23/06 Week 21 01/30/06 Week 22 02/06/06 Week 23 02/13/06 Week 24 02/20/06 Week 25 02/27/06 Week 26 Choosing Project Forming Team Actual Time Line Brain Storming 1st launch 1/15/06 2nd launch 3/4/06 3rd launch Box Transmitter Research GPS Reasearch Landing Predictions Budget for 1st launch HAM License Ordering for 1st launch Camera Timer Screamer Circuit Filling Valve Box Design Equipment Trouble Shooting Building 1st Controls Box Thermocouples Reducing Ring Connector Payload Antennas Freezer Test Durrability Test Results Analysis Alternative Comunications Ordering for 2nd and 3rd launches Building 2nd Controls Box Building 3rd Controls Box Data Storage Solar Cell Experiment Basic Stamp Programing Directional Antennas Pressure/Humidity Readings 2nd Payload Wire/Solder 3rd Payload Wire/Solder ANSYS Thermal Analysis Table 3: New Gantt Chart timeline.

Actual Mike John Jessica Brian Sean Camera Timer x x xx - Primary Screamer Circuit x x x - Secondary Data Storage xx Filling Valve xx Thermocouples xx Reducing Ring Connector xx Solar Cell Experiment x xx xx Alternative Communications xx x x x x Basic Stamp Programming xx x Predictions xx x Antenna x x Box Design xx xx Pressure/Humidity Readings x xx 2nd Payload Wire/Solder x xx HAM Radio Research xx x x GPS Research x x x Freezer Test xx xx Durability Test x x x Thermal Analysis xx Data Analysis x x x Air Release Valve x xx Parachute Deploy x xx Tethered Balloons x x x Guidance System/Device xx Object Launched off xx Table 4: New responsibilities list.

Table 5: Bill of Materials Ordered/ Shipped/ Received Product Vendor Price Shipping Total O / S / R Spherachutes Parachute - 12 panel, 84" diameter http://www.spherachutes.com/spher.html via PayPal $85.00 $6.00 $91.00 O / S / R Kenwood TM-D700A Ground HAM Unit http://www.gigaparts.com/parts/profile.php?sku=zkw-tm-d700a $475.00 $0.00 $475.00 O / S / R Kenwood TH-D7AG Air HAM Unit http://www.gigaparts.com/parts/profile.php?sku=zkw-th-d7ag $319.00 $0.00 $319.00 Cancelled Garmin GPS 15L-W (low-voltage, wires out) ($71.15) https://www.dbmarine.com/sales/product-all.asp?c=gps+%2f+plotters Cancelled Garmin GPS Antenna GA 27c ($59.39) https://www.dbmarine.com/sales/product-all.asp?c=gps+%2f+plotters O / S / R Garmin GPS 15L-W (low-voltage, wires out) http://www.thetwistergroup.com/product/010-00240-02%20w04048.html $69.12 $7.89 $77.01 O / S / R Garmin GPS Antenna GA 27c http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/ebayisapi.dll?viewitem&item=5822189147&rd=1&sspagename=strk% $19.99 $4.99 $24.98 O / S / R Balloon - 1500 gram https://secure.scientificsales.com/details.cfm?prodid=129&category=8 $125.00 $0.00 $125.00 O / S / R Garmin GPS etrex Legend C - handheld http://www.thetwistergroup.com/product/010-00358-00%20w00021.html $196.12 $9.96 $206.08 O / S / R Laplink DB9 cable - HAM to PC http://www.pcconnection.com/productdetail?sku=187075 $4.18 $10.46 $14.64 O / S / R Dell C400 laptop https://www.e-topco.com/commerce/store/viewitem.asp?idproduct=426 $450.00 $22.73 $472.73 O / S / R 500' 100-lb Dacron http://www.coastalkites.com/merchant2/merchant.mv?screen=prod&store_code=247&produc $7.95 $6.07 $14.02 O / S / R HP PhotoSmart M22 http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/ebayisapi.dll?viewitem&item=7557756675 $102.51 $0.00 $102.51 Store Plastic knitting hoop Jo Ann Fabric $13.99 $0.00 $13.99 Store Rip Stop Nylon Jo Ann Fabric $20.97 $0.00 $20.97 Store Polypro braided strap Jo Ann Fabric $8.80 $0.00 $8.80 Store Buckle (x2) Jo Ann Fabric $5.98 $0.00 $5.98 Store Buckle (x2) Jo Ann Fabric $5.38 $0.00 $5.38 Store Metal D-rings (3x4-pack) Jo Ann Fabric $4.77 $0.00 $4.77 Store 1.5" Foam Insulation (24"x96") Lowes $10.52 $0.00 $10.52 Store 2x4 92" long Lowes $2.44 $0.00 $2.44 Store Fill valve supplies Lowes $27.36 $0.00 $27.36 Store Peg board Lowes $3.53 $0.00 $3.53 Store Plywood Lowes $4.99 $0.00 $4.99 Store Monokote (2x6' roll) RC Hobby Center $21.98 $0.00 $21.98 Store Caribiners, fill valve supplies, gloves Lowes $40.02 $0.00 $40.02 WSU 2x 244 cu. ft. tanks Helium (2 tanks=2*36.75) WSU - through Greg Wilt $73.50 $0.00 $73.50 Store Helium tank frame lumber and tiestraps Lowes $64.70 $0.00 $64.70 Ph / S / R HOBO Thermocouple Logger and Boxcar Software Onset computer corporation $115.00 $20.00 $135.00 Store Fill valve supplies (round 2) Lowes $7.76 $0.00 $7.76 Store Duct tape and batteries Lowes $30.93 $0.00 $30.93 Store Hand warmers Dick's Sporting Goods $1.98 $0.00 $1.98 Store Monokote (2x6' roll) round 2 RC Hobby Center $21.98 $0.00 $21.98 Store Magmount antenna Radio Shack $34.99 $0.00 $34.99 Store Smoke Alarm Home Depot $4.97 $0.00 $4.97 O / S / R Garmin GPS 15L-W (low-voltage, wires out) http://www.thetwistergroup.com/product/010-00240-02%20w04048.html $69.12 $7.95 $77.07 Store Batteries and connectors Radio Shack $68.02 $0.00 $68.02

Ordered/ Shipped/ Received Product Vendor Price Shipping Total O / S / R Balloon - 1500 gram https://secure.scientificsales.com/details.cfm?prodid=129&category=8 $125.00 $0.00 $125.00 Store Antenna cable connector Radio Shack $5.29 $0.00 $5.29 Store Batteries and tarp Meijer $23.96 $0.00 $23.96 Store Antenna cable connectors Electronix $4.27 $0.00 $4.27 Store Shipping GPS to Garmin UPS Store $6.26 $0.00 $6.26 O / S / R BASIC Stamp two BS2p24 (one is a kit) www.parallax.com $278.95 $7.63 $286.58 O / S / R Kenwood TH-D7AG Air HAM Unit (2) http://www.gigaparts.com/parts/profile.php?sku=zkw-th-d7ag $638.00 $0.00 $638.00 O / S / R Spherachutes Parachute - 12 panel, 84" diameter (2) http://www.spherachutes.com/spher.html via PayPal $170.00 $6.00 $176.00 O / S / R Humidity & Pressure Sensors (2 each) www.newarkinone.com $125.72 $19.12 $144.84 O / S / R EM-401 GPS receiver (2) www.sparkfun.com $147.80 $3.11 $150.91 Store Misc. parts Midwest Surplus Electronics $21.10 $0.00 $21.10 Store Misc. antenna parts Home Depot $18.38 $0.00 $18.38 Store Box insulation board Lowes $9.55 $0.00 $9.55 Store Box cover material Jo Ann Fabric $72.57 $0.00 $72.57 Store Velcro Lowes $23.91 $0.00 $23.91 O / S / R Garmin GPS 25-LVS (2) http://www.gpscity.com $259.90 $11.48 $271.38 O / S / R Five antenna for GPS receivers http://www.kawamall.com $75.00 $8.00 $83.00 O / S / R A410 Digital Camera (2) http://www.buy.com/prod/canon_powershot_a410_3_2_megapixel_digital_camera_w_3_2x_zo $259.98 $8.44 $268.42 O / S / R Misc. Electronics http://www.futurlec.com $18.60 $16.00 $34.60 O / S / R A12 GPS receiver (2) http://www.thalesnavigation.com $159.00 $0.00 $159.00 O / S / R GXB5210 GPS receiver kit (2) http://www.synergy-gps.com $345.60 $0.00 $345.60 O / S / R PocketTracker direct via paypal $50.00 $0.00 $50.00 Store Lithium Batteries Batteries Plus $48.00 $0.00 $48.00 Store Misc payload parts Radio Shack $3.18 $0.00 $3.18 Store Misc. circuit parts Midwest Surplus Electronics $10.21 $0.00 $10.21 Store PC Board and supplies Radio Shack $12.48 $0.00 $12.48 Store Hand warmers Dick's Sporting Goods $5.98 $0.00 $5.98 Store Misc. circuit parts Radio Shack $57.68 $0.00 $57.68 Store Solder Radio Shack $2.99 $0.00 $2.99 Store Caribiners Meijer $46.51 $0.00 $46.51 Store Helium Weiler Welding $65.17 $0.00 $65.17 O / S / R Foxhunting radios http://www.universal-radio.com $559.80 $30.00 $589.80 Store Filling valve supplies and batteries Lowes $29.60 $0.00 $29.60 Store Misc. circuit parts Radio Shack $40.62 $0.00 $40.62 Store Camera memory cards Best Buy $81.98 $0.00 $81.98 Store Misc. circuit parts Radio Shack $12.73 $0.00 $12.73 Store Foamcore Meijer $5.88 $0.00 $5.88 Table 5: Bill of Materials

Ordered/ Shipped/ Received Product Vendor Price Shipping Total Store Battery holders Radio Shack $20.72 $0.00 $20.72 Store Monokote RC Hobby Center $32.97 $0.00 $32.97 Store Caulk and spray foam insulation Meijer $8.98 $0.00 $8.98 O / S / R 1500g balloon (2) http://www.scientificsales.com $250.00 $0.00 $250.00 O / S / R TTL -> RS-232 chips http://www.futurlec.com $5.80 $4.00 $9.80 O / S / R 144MHz beacon (2) www.silcom.com via PayPal $113.30 $0.00 $113.30 Store Smoke Alarm Home Depot $5.30 $0.00 $5.30 Store Misc. Electronics Midwest Surplus Electronics $15.12 $0.00 $15.12 Store Misc. Electronics Midwest Surplus Electronics $7.08 $0.00 $7.08 Store Misc. Electronics Midwest Surplus Electronics $1.17 $0.00 $1.17 O / S / R DS 1822 Digital Thermometers http://www.newarkinone.com $38.70 $20.57 $59.27 O / S / R Tiny Track III and USB->Serial cable http://www.byonics.com $112.00 $0.00 $112.00 O / S / R Icom P7A and Kenwood battery packs http://www.universal-radio.com $255.90 $24.00 $279.90 Store Lithium Batteries Batteries Plus $93.32 $0.00 $93.32 Store Gift card as payment for box cover Applebee's $60.00 $0.00 $60.00 $0.00 $0.00 $0.00 $7,613.96 Table 5: Bill of Materials

Freezer Battery Tests (-13 F) Time (hours:minutes) HAM 1 (Volts) HAM 2 (Volts) Alkaline (Volts) Reyovac NiMH (Volts) NiCd (Volts) 0:00 10.06 10.84 5.94 5.53 5.25 0:15 5.6 4.31 5.64 5.41 5.08 0:30 3.66 2.47 5.46 5.31 4.99 0:45 2.76 1.58 5.75 5.24 4.89 1:00 2.11 1.23 5.14 5.19 4.88 1:15 1.81 1.02 5.04 5.14 4.83 1:30 1.61 0.87 4.94 5.12 4.81 1:45 1.5 0.79 4.84 5.09 4.8 2:00 1.38 0.73 4.75 5.07 4.78 2:15 1.37 0.68 4.68 5.04 4.78 2:30 -- 0.65 -- -- -- 2:45 -- 0.63 -- -- -- 3:00 -- 0.63 -- -- -- Table 6: Initial battery tests in a chest freezer. HAM radio batteries (custom NiCd) performed very poorly. Standard size batteries all performed moderately well, though no measurements of the current were made.

GPS UTC time DDMM.mmmm DDDMM.mmmm Altitude Speed Heading Box temp GPS UTC time DDMM.mmmm DDDMM.mmmm Altitude Speed Heading Box temp G1 1702 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G1 1702 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G2 1703 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 20 G2 1703 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 20 G3 1704 3947.1211 8400.9120 0 0 20 G3 1704 3947.1211 8400.9120 0 0 0 20 G1 1705 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G1 1705 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G3 1706 3947.1211 8400.9028 0 0 19 G3 1706 3947.1211 8400.9028 0 0 0 19 G1 1707 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G1 1707 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G2 1708 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 20 G2 1708 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 20 G3 1709 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 20 G3 1709 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 20 G1 1710 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G1 1710 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G2 1711 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 21 G2 1711 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 21 G3 1712 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 20 G3 1712 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 20 G1 1713 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G1 1713 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 20 G2 1714 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 20 G2 1714 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 20 G3 1715 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 20 G3 1715 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 20 G1 1717 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 19 G1 1717 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 19 G2 1717 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 19 G2 1717 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 19 G3 1718 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 19 G3 1718 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 19 G1 1720 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 18 G1 1720 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 18 G2 1720 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 18 G2 1720 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 18 G3 1721 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 17 G3 1721 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 17 G1 1723 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 17 G1 1723 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 17 G2 1724 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 17 G2 1724 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 17 G3 1725 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 16 G3 1725 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 16 G1 1726 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 16 G1 1726 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 16 G2 1727 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 16 G2 1727 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 16 G3 1728 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 15 G3 1728 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 15 G1 1729 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 15 G1 1729 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 15 G2 1730 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 15 G2 1730 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 15 G3 1731 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 14 G3 1731 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 14 G1 1732 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 14 G1 1732 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 14 G2 1733 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 14 G2 1733 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 14 G3 1734 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 14 G3 1734 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 14 G1 1735 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 13 G1 1735 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 13 G2 1736 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 13 G2 1736 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 13 G3 1737 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 13 G3 1737 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 13 G1 1738 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 13 G1 1738 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 13 G2 1739 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 13 G2 1739 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 13 G3 1740 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 12 G3 1740 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 12 G1 1742 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 12 G1 1742 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 12 G2 1742 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 12 G2 1742 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 12 G3 1743 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 12 G3 1743 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 12 G1 1745 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 12 G1 1745 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 12 G2 1745 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 12 G2 1745 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 12 G3 1747 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 12 G3 1747 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 12 G1 1748 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 11 G1 1748 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 11 G2 1749 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G2 1749 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G3 1750 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 11 G3 1750 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 11 G1 1751 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 11 G1 1751 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 11 G2 1752 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G2 1752 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G3 1753 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 11 G3 1753 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 11

GPS UTC time DDMM.mmmm DDDMM.mmmm Altitude Speed Heading Box temp GPS UTC time DDMM.mmmm DDDMM.mmmm Altitude Speed Heading Box temp G1 1754 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 11 G1 1754 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 11 G2 1755 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G2 1755 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G3 1756 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 11 G3 1756 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 11 G1 1757 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 11 G1 1757 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 11 G2 1758 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G2 1758 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G3 1759 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 11 G3 1759 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 11 G1 1800 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 10 G1 1800 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 10 G2 1801 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 10 G2 1801 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 10 G3 1802 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 10 G3 1802 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 10 G1 1803 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 10 G1 1803 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 10 G2 1804 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 10 G2 1804 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 10 G3 1805 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 10 G3 1805 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 10 G1 1807 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 10 G1 1807 3947.0485 8400.8428 280 2 10 G2 1807 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G2 1807 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 11 G3 1808 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 10 G3 1808 3947.1179 8400.8953 0 0 0 10 G1 1809 3947.0528 8400.8509 278 0 0 10 G1 1809 3947.0528 8400.8509 278 0 0 10 G2 1810 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 10 G2 1810 3947.0536 8400.8329 0 0 10 G3 1811 3947.1381 8400.9683 0.6 0 10 G3 1811 3947.1381 8400.9683 0 0.6 0 10 G1 1813 3947.0665 8400.8494-33 0 0 10 G1 1813 3947.0665 8400.8494-33 0 0 10 G2 1814 3947.0562 8400.8429 288.6 0 0 9 G2 1814 3947.0562 8400.8429 288.6 0 0 9 G3 1815 3947.1027 8400.9579 0.4 0 9 G3 1815 3947.1027 8400.9579 0 0.4 0 9 G1 1816 3947.0559 8400.8521 295.7 0 0 9 G1 1816 3947.0559 8400.8521 295.7 0 0 9 G2 1817 3947.0530 8400.8380 298.9 0 0 9 G2 1817 3947.053 8400.8380 298.9 0 0 9 G3 1818 3947.0569 8400.7959 550.3 0.8 0 9 G3 1818 3947.0569 8400.7959 550.3 0.8 0 9 G1 1819 3947.0540 8400.8488 280.8 0 0 9 G1 1819 3947.054 8400.8488 280.8 0 0 9 G2 1820 3947.0644 8400.8428 297 0 0 9 G2 1820 3947.0644 8400.8428 297 0 0 9 G3 1821 3947.0494 8400.8391 363.5 0.2 0 9 G3 1821 3947.0494 8400.8391 363.5 0.2 0 9 G1 1822 3947.0526 8400.8478 289.7 0 0 9 G1 1822 3947.0526 8400.8478 289.7 0 0 9 G2 1823 3947.0561 8400.8399 296.9 0 0 9 G2 1823 3947.0561 8400.8399 296.9 0 0 9 G3 1824 3947.0567 8400.8076 363.6 0 0 9 G3 1824 3947.0567 8400.8076 363.6 0 0 9 G1 1825 3947.0520 8400.8477 291 0 0 9 G1 1825 3947.052 8400.8477 291 0 0 9 G2 1826 3947.0606 8400.8413 296.7 0 0 9 G2 1826 3947.0606 8400.8413 296.7 0 0 9 G3 1827 3947.0303 8400.8198 363.6 0 0 9 G3 1827 3947.0303 8400.8198 363.6 0 0 9 G1 1828 3947.0518 8400.8475 281.8 0 0 9 G1 1828 3947.0518 8400.8475 281.8 0 0 9 G2 1829 3947.0534 8400.8426 287.4 0 0 9 G2 1829 3947.0534 8400.8426 287.4 0 0 9 G3 1830 3946.8119 8400.7919 363.6 4.3 4 8 G3 1830 3946.8119 8400.7919 363.6 4.3 4 8 G1 1831 3947.0515 8400.8478 287 0 0 8 G1 1831 3947.0515 8400.8478 287 0 0 8 G2 1832 3947.0525 8400.8383 298.3 0 0 8 G2 1832 3947.0525 8400.8383 298.3 0 0 8 G3 1833 3946.9198 8400.8110 363.6 1.1 1 8 G3 1833 3946.9198 8400.8110 363.6 1.1 1 8 G1 1834 3947.0512 8400.8478 294.2 0 0 8 G1 1834 3947.0512 8400.8478 294.2 0 0 8 G2 1836 3947.0561 8400.8433 305.5 0 0 8 G2 1836 3947.0561 8400.8433 305.5 0 0 8 G3 1837 3947.0491 8400.8468 206.7 0 0 7 G3 1837 3947.0491 8400.8468 206.7 0 0 7 G1 1838 3947.0506 8400.8479 297.4 0 0 7 G1 1838 3947.0506 8400.8479 297.4 0 0 7 G2 1839 3947.0533 8400.8395 285.2 0 0 7 G2 1839 3947.0533 8400.8395 285.2 0 0 7 G3 1840 3947.0521 8400.8358 244.6 0 0 7 G3 1840 3947.0521 8400.8358 244.6 0 0 7 G1 1841 3947.0504 8400.8472 287.1 0 0 7 G1 1841 3947.0504 8400.8472 287.1 0 0 7 G2 1842 3947.0560 8400.8429 283.2 0 0 6 G2 1842 3947.056 8400.8429 283.2 0 0 6 G3 1843 3947.0526 8400.8363 258 0 0 6 G3 1843 3947.0526 8400.8363 258 0 0 6 G1 1844 3947.0509 8400.8474 306.4 0 0 6 G1 1844 3947.0509 8400.8474 306.4 0 0 6 G2 1845 3947.0473 8400.8399 299.9 0 0 6 G2 1845 3947.0473 8400.8399 299.9 0 0 6

GPS UTC time DDMM.mmmm DDDMM.mmmm Altitude Speed Heading Box temp GPS UTC time DDMM.mmmm DDDMM.mmmm Altitude Speed Heading Box temp G3 1846 3947.0534 8400.8358 259.2 0 0 6 G3 1846 3947.0534 8400.8358 259.2 0 0 6 G1 1847 3947.0512 8400.8473 287.6 0 0 6 G1 1847 3947.0512 8400.8473 287.6 0 0 6 G2 1848 3947.0588 8400.8391 306.1 0 0 5 G2 1848 3947.0588 8400.8391 306.1 0 0 5 G3 1849 3947.0561 8400.8784 154.7 0 0 5 G3 1849 3947.0561 8400.8784 154.7 0 0 5 G1 1850 3947.0532 8400.8480 285.3 0 0 5 G1 1850 3947.0532 8400.8480 285.3 0 0 5 G2 1851 3947.0596 8400.8418 303.4 0 0 5 G2 1851 3947.0596 8400.8418 303.4 0 0 5 G3 1852 3947.0445 8400.8106 251.4 1.5 1 5 G3 1852 3947.0445 8400.8106 251.4 1.5 1 5 G1 1853 3947.0535 8400.8462 289.8 0 0 5 G1 1853 3947.0535 8400.8462 289.8 0 0 5 G2 1854 3947.0636 8400.8372 310.3 0 0 5 G2 1854 3947.0636 8400.8372 310.3 0 0 5 G3 1855 3947.1658 8400.8785 254 5.9 5 5 G3 1855 3947.1658 8400.8785 254 5.9 5 5 G1 1856 3947.0534 8400.8464 299.7 0 0 4 G1 1856 3947.0534 8400.8464 299.7 0 0 4 G2 1857 3947.0548 8400.8403 289.4 0 0 4 G2 1857 3947.0548 8400.8403 289.4 0 0 4 G3 1858 3947.1629 8400.8722 204.3 1.3 1 4 G3 1858 3947.1629 8400.8722 204.3 1.3 1 4 G1 1859 3947.0537 8400.8463 295.3 0 0 4 G1 1859 3947.0537 8400.8463 295.3 0 0 4 G2 1901 3947.0585 8400.8413 295.2 0 0 4 G2 1901 3947.0585 8400.8413 295.2 0 0 4 G3 1902 3947.0542 8400.7913 297.7 0.6 0 4 G3 1902 3947.0542 8400.7913 297.7 0.6 0 4 G1 1903 3947.0539 8400.8465-33 0 0 4 G1 1903 3947.0539 8400.8465-33 0 0 4 G2 1904 3947.0553 8400.8403 300 0 0 3 G2 1904 3947.0553 8400.8403 300 0 0 3 G3 1905 3946.8711 8400.7488 309.7 2.6 2 3 G3 1905 3946.8711 8400.7488 309.7 2.6 2 3 G1 1906 3947.0539 8400.8466 288.4 0 0 3 G1 1906 3947.0539 8400.8466 288.4 0 0 3 G2 1907 3947.0555 8400.8296 301.1 0 0 3 G2 1907 3947.0555 8400.8296 301.1 0 0 3 G3 1908 3947.1486 8400.8503 309.8 7.5 9 3 G3 1908 3947.1486 8400.8503 309.8 7.5 9 3 G1 1909 3947.0539 8400.8469 280.2 0 0 3 G1 1909 3947.0539 8400.8469 280.2 0 0 3 G2 1910 3947.0455 8400.8385 289.5 0 0 3 G2 1910 3947.0455 8400.8385 289.5 0 0 3 G3 1911 3947.1146 8400.8343 311.3 1.1 1 3 G3 1911 3947.1146 8400.8343 311.3 1.1 1 3 G1 1912 3947.0469 8400.8456 298.8 0 0 3 G1 1912 3947.0469 8400.8456 298.8 0 0 3 G2 1913 3947.0518 8400.8435 284.2 0 0 3 G2 1913 3947.0518 8400.8435 284.2 0 0 3 G3 1914 3947.1146 8400.8343 311.3 1.1 1 2 G3 1914 3947.1146 8400.8343 311.3 1.1 1 2 G1 1915 3947.0467 8400.8496-33 0 0 2 G1 1915 3947.0467 8400.8496-33 0 0 2 G2 1916 3947.0535 8400.8414 290.8 0 0 2 G2 1916 3947.0535 8400.8414 290.8 0 0 2 G3 1917 3947.1146 8400.8343 311.3 1.1 1 2 G3 1917 3947.1146 8400.8343 311.3 1.1 1 2 G1 1918 3947.0484 8400.8492 290.7 0 0 2 G1 1918 3947.0484 8400.8492 290.7 0 0 2 G2 1919 3947.0409 8400.8378 302.3 0 0 2 G2 1919 3947.0409 8400.8378 302.3 0 0 2 G3 1920 3947.0378 8400.8312 310.2 11.7 11 2 G3 1920 3947.0378 8400.8312 310.2 11.7 11 2 G1 1921 3947.0531 8400.8497 268.6 0 0 2 G1 1921 3947.0531 8400.8497 268.6 0 0 2 G3 1923 3946.9431 8400.7843 309.8 1.8 1 2 G3 1923 3946.9431 8400.7843 309.8 1.8 1 2 G1 1924 3947.0423 8400.8467 296.8 0 0 2 G1 1924 3947.0423 8400.8467 296.8 0 0 2 G2 1925 3947.0482 8400.8423 294.9 0 0 2 G2 1925 3947.0482 8400.8423 294.9 0 0 2 G3 1926 3946.8400 8400.7513 307.8 1.2 1 2 G3 1926 3946.84 8400.7513 307.8 1.2 1 2 G1 1927 3947.0562 8400.8626 258.5 0 0 1 G1 1927 3947.0562 8400.8626 258.5 0 0 1 G3 1928 3946.8812 8400.8003 307.1 4.2 4 1 G3 1928 3946.8812 8400.8003 307.1 4.2 4 1 G1 1929 3947.0487 8400.8480 290.3 0 0 1 G1 1929 3947.0487 8400.8480 290.3 0 0 1 G2 1930 3947.0514 8400.8408 287.9 0 0 1 G2 1930 3947.0514 8400.8408 287.9 0 0 1 G3 1931 3946.9818 8400.7980 307.5 0 0 1 G3 1931 3946.9818 8400.7980 307.5 0 0 1 G1 1932 3947.0486 8400.8487 295.5 0 0 1 G1 1932 3947.0486 8400.8487 295.5 0 0 1 G2 1933 3947.0540 8400.8438 281.2 0 0 1 G2 1933 3947.054 8400.8438 281.2 0 0 1 G3 1934 3947.0525 8400.8236 307 0.4 0 1 G3 1934 3947.0525 8400.8236 307 0.4 0 1 G1 1935 3947.0484 8400.8491 271.8 0 0 1 G1 1935 3947.0484 8400.8491 271.8 0 0 1 G2 1936 3947.0517 8400.8398 292.4 0 0 1 G2 1936 3947.0517 8400.8398 292.4 0 0 1 G3 1937 3947.0531 8400.8272 290.8 1.3 1 1 G3 1937 3947.0531 8400.8272 290.8 1.3 1 1

GPS UTC time DDMM.mmmm DDDMM.mmmm Altitude Speed Heading Box temp GPS UTC time DDMM.mmmm DDDMM.mmmm Altitude Speed Heading Box temp G1 1938 3947.0387 8400.8443 313.8 0 0 1 G1 1938 3947.0387 8400.8443 313.8 0 0 1 G2 1939 3947.0519 8400.8443 289.3 0 0 1 G2 1939 3947.0519 8400.8443 289.3 0 0 0 G3 1940 3947.0522 8400.8276 278.4 0 0 0 G3 1940 3947.0522 8400.8276 278.4 0 0 0 G1 1941 3947.0522 8400.8535 267.1 0 0 0 G1 1941 3947.0522 8400.8535 267.1 0 0 0 G2 1942 3947.0538 8400.8450 287.1 0 0 0 G2 1942 3947.0538 8400.8450 287.1 0 0 0 G3 1943 3947.0611 8400.8307 260.4 0 0 0 G3 1943 3947.0611 8400.8307 260.4 0 0 0 G1 1945 3947.0486 8400.8514 291.6 0 0 0 G1 1945 3947.0486 8400.8514 291.6 0 0 0 G2 1946 3947.0517 8400.8431 287.4 0 0 0 G2 1946 3947.0517 8400.8431 287.4 0 0 0 G3 1947 3947.0559 8400.8266 249.7 0 0 0 G3 1947 3947.0559 8400.8266 249.7 0 0 0 G1 1948 3947.0491 8400.8500 311.5 0 0 0 G1 1948 3947.0491 8400.8500 311.5 0 0 0 G2 1949 3947.0540 8400.8407 273.9 0 0 0 G2 1949 3947.054 8400.8407 273.9 0 0 0 G3 1950 3947.0523 8400.8225 272 0.1 0 0 G3 1950 3947.0523 8400.8225 272 0.1 0 0 G1 1951 3947.0493 8400.8494-33 0 0 0 G1 1951 3947.0493 8400.8494-33 0 0 0 G2 1952 3947.0562 8400.8412 282.4 0 0 0 G2 1952 3947.0562 8400.8412 282.4 0 0 0 G3 1953 3947.0504 8400.8126 271 0 0 0 G3 1953 3947.0504 8400.8126 271 0 0 0 G1 1954 3947.0534 8400.8574 265.5 0 0 0 G1 1954 3947.0534 8400.8574 265.5 0 0 G2 1955 3947.0562 8400.8387 267.4 0 0 0 G3 1956 3947.0626 8400.7847 323.7 0.9 0 0 G1 1957 3947.0518 8400.8526 274.7 0 0-1 G2 1958 3947.0515 8400.8402 287.2 0 0-1 G3 1959 3947.0480 8400.8156 297.4 0 0-1 G1 2000 3947.0509 8400.8514 283.3 0 0-1 G2 2001 3947.0522 8400.8411 284.9 0 0-1 G3 2002 3947.0492 8400.8098 317.8 0 0-1 G1 2003 3947.0505 8400.8506 304 0 0-1 G2 2004 3947.0498 8400.8398 298.8 0 0-1 G3 2005 3947.0508 8400.8099 317.3 0 0-1 G1 2007 3947.0501 8400.8500 278.1 0 0-1 G2 2008 3947.0504 8400.8389 289.4 0 0-1 G3 2009 3947.0452 8400.8041 301.7 0 1-1 G1 2010 3947.0501 8400.8497 287.2 0 0-1 G2 2011 3947.0510 8400.8390 300.8 0 0-1 G3 2012 3947.0484 8400.8280 240 0 0-1 G1 2013 3947.0502 8400.8493-33 0 0-1 G2 2014 3947.0451 8400.8372 353.3 0 0-1 G3 2015 3947.0530 8400.8350 227.8 0 0-1 G1 2016 3947.0502 8400.8489 286.7 0 0-1 G2 2017 3947.0497 8400.8375 305.9 0 0-2 G3 2018 3947.0500 8400.8378 220.9 0 0-2 G1 2019 3947.0502 8400.8487 301.2 0 0-2 G2 2020 3947.0533 8400.8405 261.4 0 0-2 G3 2021 3947.0539 8400.8384 219.4 0 0-2 G1 2022 3947.0500 8400.8484 311.8 0 0-2 G2 2023 3947.0509 8400.8366 303.2 0 0-2 G3 2024 3947.0513 8400.8245 230.7 0.9 0-2 G1 2025 3947.0500 8400.8481 306.9 0 0-2 G2 2026 3947.0528 8400.8402 270.7 0 0-2 Maximum 3947.1658 8400.9683 550.3 Maximum 3947.1658 8400.9683 550.3 Minimum 3946.8119 8400.7488-33.0 3 hours, 18 minutes Minimum 3946.8119 8400.7488-33.0 first 2 hours, 52 minutes Mean 3947.0568 8400.8451 278.6 Mean 3947.0579 8400.8468 224.7

Ansys Procedure to Analyze High Altitude Balloon Payload 1.Preferences --> Thermal 2.Preprocessor-->Element Type--> Add/Edit/Delete a) Add... i. Thermal Solid: Brick 20 Node 90 ii. Ok b) Close 3.Preprocessor --> Material Properties --> Material Models a) Select Material Model 1 b) Double Click Thermal c) Double Click Conductivity d) Double Click Isotropic i. kxx:.15152 --> Ok e) Menu --> Material--> Exit 4.Preprocessor --> Modeling --> Create --> Keypoints --> In Active CS a) Enter node numbers and locations (hit apply after each entry) Point # 1 2 3 4 5 6 x 4.5 4.5 0 0 5 5 y 0 4.5 4.5 5 5 0 b) Ok 5.Preprocessor --> Modeling --> Create --> Lines --> Lines --> Straight Lines a) Join Nodes: (1,2), (2,3), (3,4), (4,5), (5,6), and (6,1) b) Ok 6.Preprocessor --> Modeling --> Create --> Areas--> Arbitrary --> By Lines a) Choose all lines created in step 5 b) Ok 7.Preprocessor--> Modeling --> Operate --> Extrude --> Areas --> Along Normal a) Select Area --> Ok b) DIST: 4.5 c) Ok 8.Preprocessor --> Modeling --> Create --> Volumes --> Block --> By 2 Corners and Z a) Pick top left corner of volume made in steps 4 through 7 and drag to the bottom right corner of the volume b) Set Depth =.5 c) Ok 9.Plot Ctrls --> View Settings --> Viewing Direction a) Coords of View Point: 1, 1, 1 b) Ok 10.Preprocessor --> Modeling --> Operate --> Booleans --> Add --> Volumes a) Select Both Volumes b) Ok 11.Preprocessor --> Modeling --> Operate--> Booleans --> Add --> Areas a) Select faces that are made up of 2 areas and combine them (along sides) b) Select Ok c) Repeat this step until all faces divided into two areas have been combined

12.Plot Ctrls --> View Settings --> Viewing Direction a) Coords of View Point: -1, -1, -1 b) Ok 13.Preprocessor --> Modeling --> Operate --> Booleans --> Add --> Areas a) Select faces that are made up of 2 areas and combine them (along edges) b) Select Ok c) Repeat this step for the other edge containing two areas 14.Preprocessor --> Meshing --> Mesh Attributes --> All Volumes a) TYPE: 1 Solid 90 b) Ok 15.Preprocessor --> Meshing --> Size Ctrls --> Manual Size --> Global --> Size a) Pick different sizes between.175 (Fine) and 2 (Coarse) to test different meshes b) Ok 16.Preprocessor --> Meshing --> Mesh --> Volumes --> Free a) Pick Volume b) Ok 17.Preprocessor --> Loads --> Define Loads --> Apply --> Thermal --> Convection --> On Areas a) Select the 2 large faces nearest to the bottom of the screen i. Vali Film Coefficient:.0075968 b) Ok 18.Preprocessor --> Loads --> Define Loads --> Apply --> Thermal --> Convection --> On Areas a) Select the large face near the top of the screen i.vali Film Coefficient:.0079648 b) Ok 19.Preprocessor --> Define Loads --> Apply --> Thermal --> Heat Flux --> On Area a) Select all edges b) VALUE: 0 20.Plot Ctrls --> View Settings --> Viewing Direction a) Coords of Viewpoint: 1, 1, 1 21.Preprocessor --> Loads --> Define Loads --> Apply --> Thermal --> Convection --> On Areas a) Select both sides (not the top) b) Ok c) Vali Film Coefficient:.007342 d) VAL2I Bulk Temp: -94 e) Ok 22.Preprocessor --> Loads --> Define Loads --> Apply --> Thermal --> Convection --> On Areas a) Select top area b) Ok c) Vali Film Coefficient:.00769779 d) VAL2I Bulk Temp: -94 23,Solution --> Solve --> Current LS --> Ok

24.Close 25.Close Status Window 26.General Postprocessor --> Plot Results --> Contour Plot --> Nodal Solutions a) Select DOF Solution --> Temperature --> Ok

BASIC Stamp Program Source Code ' bigmemread.bsp ' This program dumps the contents of the memory to the DEBUG terminal window. ' Copy it from there for post-processing. ' {$STAMP BS2p} ' {$PBASIC 2.5} beginning VAR Word ' first address containing information in current ' slot ending VAR Word ' last address containing information in current ' slot slot VAR Byte ' current program slot number lastslot VAR Byte ' last program slot with information char VAR Byte ' working character i VAR Word ' counter counter VAR Byte ' number of sentences stored in current slot j CON 45 ' number of characters per sentence STORE 1 READ 4, lastslot information ' look in slot 1 to start ' read in the slot number of last slot with Main: DEBUG "Starting Memory Dump...", CR FOR slot = 1 TO lastslot STORE slot GOSUB Reading NEXT DEBUG CR, "Done Reading EEPROM!!" END Reading: READ 0, Word beginning READ 2, Word ending READ 5, counter DEBUG CR, CR, "Slot: ", DEC slot, " counter=", DEC counter IF ending = 10 THEN RETURN FOR i = beginning TO (ending - 1) 'IF (i-beginning) // j = 0 THEN DEBUG CR READ i, char IF char = "G" THEN DEBUG CR DEBUG char NEXT RETURN

' -reset.bsp ' This program resets the memory writing location information. ' {$STAMP BS2p} ' {$PBASIC 2.5} addr VAR Word ' current memory address (in EEPROM) counter VAR Byte ' number of sentences stored in current slot slot VAR Byte ' current program slot number othernum VAR Word STORE 1 addr = 10 slot = 1 WRITE 4, slot ' set starting slot number to slot 1 FOR counter = 1 TO 7 STORE counter WRITE 0, Word addr ' set slot address start to 10 WRITE 2, Word addr ' set slot current write address to 10 WRITE 5, 0 ' set slot sentence counter to 0 FOR othernum = 10 TO 2047 WRITE othernum, 0 NEXT NEXT DEBUG "Done clearing memory!"

' -fulltest.bsp ' This program is the first attempt at being able to read in ' data from multiple GPS receivers and multiple sensors and ' store them in EEPROM. It also formats the data into custom ' data packets for transmission over HAM frequencies and sends ' those packets to the radio's TNC. ' Sentence Structure ' KD8CKD-1>G1hhmmDDMM.mmmmNDDDMM.mmmmW12345.6999.9360+90 ' {$STAMP BS2p} ' {$PBASIC 2.5} ' Pin assignments P_TOTNC CON 10 ' Stamp TX/TNC RX (16 for PC, 10 for TNC) P_FROMTNC CON 8 ' Stamp RX/TNC TX DQ PIN 13 ' Temperature pin SkipROM CON $CC ' ignore device S/N CvrtTmp CON $44 ' start temperature conversion RdSP CON $BE ' read DS1822 scratch pad j CON 45 ' number of characters per string ' Useful variables current VAR Byte ' current GPS addr VAR Word ' current memory address (in EEPROM) chars VAR Byte(10) ' read in array variable char VAR Byte ' read in character variable i VAR Word ' counter tempin VAR Word ' temperature sign VAR tempin.bit11 ' 1 = negative temperature tlo VAR tempin.byte0 thi VAR tempin.byte1 idx VAR Nib counter VAR Byte ' number of sentences stored in ' current slot slot VAR Byte ' current program slot number Initilize: STORE 1 ' look in slot 1 to start READ 4, slot ' read in the current writing slot number STORE slot ' go to appropriate slot READ 2, Word addr ' load starting write address READ 5, counter ' get counter position PAUSE 500 ' delay start by 0.5 seconds SEROUT P_TOTNC, 16624, ["HBAUD 9600", 13] ' sending TNC commands SEROUT P_TOTNC, 16624, ["CONNECT KD8CKD-2", 13] PAUSE 5000 ' allow 10 seconds to connect Main: First: current = 49 ' ASCII value "1" SERIN 1, 16624, 3000, Second, [WAIT ("MC,"), STR chars\4] GOSUB Write1 SERIN 1, 16624, 3000, Second, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\9, WAIT (","), char] GOSUB Write2 SERIN 1, 16624, 3000, Second, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\10, WAIT (","), char] GOSUB Write3 SERIN 1, 16624, 3000, Second, [WAIT ("GA,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\7]

GOSUB Write4 SERIN 1, 16624, 3000, Second, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\5] GOSUB Write5 SERIN 1, 16624, 3000, Second, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\3] GOSUB Write6 Second: current = 50 ' ASCII value "2" SERIN 2, 16624, 3000, Third, [WAIT ("MC,"), STR chars\4] GOSUB Write1 SERIN 2, 16624, 3000, Third, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\9, WAIT (","), char] GOSUB Write2 SERIN 2, 16624, 3000, Third, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\10, WAIT (","), char] GOSUB Write3 SERIN 2, 16624, 3000, Third, [WAIT ("GA,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\7] GOSUB Write4 SERIN 2, 16624, 3000, Third, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\5] GOSUB Write5 SERIN 2, 16624, 3000, Third, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\3] GOSUB Write6 Third: current = 51 ' ASCII value "3" SERIN 3, 16624, 3000, Fourth, [WAIT ("MC,"), STR chars\4] GOSUB Write1 SERIN 3, 16624, 3000, Fourth, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\9, WAIT (","), char] GOSUB Write2 SERIN 3, 16624, 3000, Fourth, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\10, WAIT (","), char] GOSUB Write3 SERIN 3, 16624, 3000, Fourth, [WAIT ("GA,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\7] GOSUB Write4 SERIN 3, 16624, 3000, Fourth, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\5] GOSUB Write5 SERIN 3, 16624, 3000, Fourth, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\3] GOSUB Write6 Fourth: current = 52 ' ASCII value "4" SERIN 7, 16624, 3000, After, [WAIT ("MC,"), STR chars\4] GOSUB Write1 SERIN 7, 16624, 3000, After, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\9, WAIT (","), char] GOSUB Write2 SERIN 7, 16624, 3000, After, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\10, WAIT (","), char] GOSUB Write3 SERIN 7, 16624, 3000, After, [WAIT ("GA,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\7] GOSUB Write4 SERIN 7, 16624, 3000, After, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\5] GOSUB Write5 SERIN 7, 16624, 3000, After, [WAIT ("MC,"), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), WAIT (","), STR chars\3]

GOSUB Write6 After: GOTO Main Write1: '"G1hhmm" - GPS receiver number and UTC time IF counter > 41 AND slot = 7 THEN ' checking status of current slot END ELSEIF counter > 41 THEN slot = slot + 1 STORE 1 WRITE 4, slot STORE slot READ 2, Word addr READ 5, counter ENDIF WRITE addr, "G", current, chars(0), chars(1), chars(2), chars(3) addr = addr + 6 RETURN Write2: '"DDMM.mmmmN" - Latitude WRITE addr, chars(0), chars(1), chars(2), chars(3), chars(4), chars(5), chars(6), chars(7), chars(8), char addr = addr + 10 RETURN Write3: '"DDDMM.mmmmW" - Longitude WRITE addr, chars(0), chars(1), chars(2), chars(3), chars(4), chars(5), chars(6), chars(7), chars(8), chars(9), char addr = addr + 11 RETURN Write4: '"#####.#" - Altitude (meters) WRITE addr, chars(0), chars(1), chars(2), chars(3), chars(4), chars(5), chars(6) addr = addr + 7 RETURN Write5: '"###.#" - Speed (knots) WRITE addr, chars(0), chars(1), chars(2), chars(3), chars(4) addr = addr + 5 RETURN Write6: '"###" - Direction (degrees) OWOUT DQ, 1, [SkipROM, CvrtTmp] ' send convert temperature command DO ' wait on conversion PAUSE 25 ' small loop pad OWIN DQ, 4, [tempin] ' check status (bit transfer) LOOP UNTIL (tempin) ' 1 when complete OWOUT DQ, 1, [SkipROM, RdSP] ' read DS1822 scratch pad OWIN DQ, 2, [tlo, thi] ' get raw temp data tempin = tempin >> 4 ' round to whole degrees thi = $FF * sign ' correct twos complement bits IF sign = 0 THEN char = "+" ELSE char = "-" chars(8) = tempin DIG 1 + 48 chars(9) = tempin DIG 0 + 48 WRITE addr, chars(0), chars(1), chars(2), char, chars(8), chars(9) addr = addr + 6 counter = counter + 1 WRITE 2, Word addr ' save next memory address WRITE 5, counter ' save counter total SEROUT P_TOTNC, 16624, ["KD8CKD->"] FOR i = (addr - j) TO (addr - 1) READ i, char SEROUT P_TOTNC, 16624, [char] NEXT SEROUT P_TOTNC, 16624, [13] PAUSE 56000 RETURN

PREPARATORY CHECKLIST Preflight Planning Weather Checks Completed BalloonTrack Prediction Okay Launch Site Confirmed Launch Team & Chase Team Personnel Totals Gas Cylinder Transport Arranged FAA Contacted Airport Contacted Preflight Systems Gas Fill Team Balloon Available Full Helium Cylinders***QTY Fill Valve Ready Equipment Ready Flight Crew Available Imaging/Cameras Camera(s) Functioning Memory Available Batteries Charged Flight Crew Available Communications Radios & GPS Functioning Screamer Functioning Laptop Functioning & Power System Ready Batteries Charged All Wires Securely Connected Flight Crew Available Payload All Flight Boxes in Good Condition Experiment in Working Order Experiment Data Collection Working Connections Between Modules Secure Flight Crew Available

PARTS CHECKLIST Ground cloth/tarp Weights for ground cloth Table Handling gloves Big hands Helium (in secure transport structure) Helium regulator Balloon hose and filler assembly Filler assembly hose clamp Fish scale/counterweight Balloon Parachute Kite string cut to length Caribiners Knitting hoop Handheld GPS tracker Notebook and pen Video camera and battery Video camera cassettes Digital camera and batteries Snacks and beverage Mobile HAM (with car battery) Laptop o Power cable o Floppy drive o CD-ROM drive o Drive cable o HAM PC cable o HOBO Cable o Wireless card o USB flash drive o Camera card reader Communication module o GPS receiver o GPS antenna o Battery pack (for GPS) 4 AA batteries o Handheld HAM radio with battery pack o HAM antenna o Screamer circuit o 9V battery for screamer o Camera o Camera batteries o Camera flash memory card o HOBO logger

o Thermocouple o Box lid o Nylon bag o Bag label card harmless radio device; contact info Experiment module o o o o o o o o o o o o Tool kit o Multimeter o Screwdrivers o Pliers o Wire cutters o Wire o Electrical tape o Duct tape o Spare AA batteries o Battery charger o Spare 9V batteries o Zip ties o Kite string o Pocketknife o Scissors o Extra caribiners

Launch Preparation Procedure 1. Payload and parachute weight: lbs 2. Desired lift: 1.2(#1+ mballoon ) mballoon = lbs 3. Check gas level in cylinders to be used 4. At launch site a. Place ground cloth on ground with no sharp objects (weight down corners) b. Attach regulator to cylinder #1 c. Make sure regulator output closed d. Note Initial pressure of cylinder #1: psi e. Put on handling gloves f. Place balloon on ground cloth, inspect for damages g. Tape lift gauge loop to filler assembly h. Place balloon nozzle over filler assembly i. Clamp or tape balloon nozzle onto filler assembly j. One person should be holding the balloon nozzle, one person operating the regulator, others guarding the balloon with big hands k. Begin inflation (use regulator to begin slowly and increase fill rate as balloon takes shape) l. When cylinder #1 reaches ~100 psi close regulator output m. Record cylinder #1 pressure: psi n. Shut off in-line valve o. Shut off cylinder #1 valve p. Move regulator to cylinder #2 q. Open cylinder #2 valve r. Record cylinder #2 initial pressure: psi s. Open regulator t. Open in-line valve, continue inflation u. When appropriate, connect fish scale to loop v. Carefully let go of balloon nozzle while someone holds fish scale w. Take several readings and roughly average in your head x. When desired lift achieved, close in-line valve and regulator y. Record final pressure of cylinder #2: psi z. Close cylinder aa. Tape load loop to balloon nozzle with small piece of tape bb. Pinch off balloon nozzle cc. Twist balloon nozzle dd. Tie balloon nozzle with kite string (CAUTION: not too tight or it will tear through) ee. Fold nozzle material ff. Tie again gg. Duct tape balloon nozzle 5. Check connections a. Flight GPS antenna to GPS unit (before power-up) b. Flight GPS to flight HAM radio (Kenwood TH-D7)

c. Batteries to GPS unit d. Flight HAM radio to HAM antenna e. HAM radio battery pack f. Camera batteries g. Camera timer circuit h. Camera timer circuit switch i. Screamer speaker j. Screamer circuit k. Screamer battery l. Screamer switch m. HOBO thermocouple 6. Prepare laptop/mobile HAM radio a. Power on laptop b. Power on HAM radio c. Connect to mobile HAM radio d. Set HAM frequency to 144.390 MHz e. Check TNC mode f. Check APRS mode g. Load Xastir 7. Check settings a. Power on HAM radio b. Set frequency to 144.390 MHz c. Check TNC mode d. Check Beacon mode e. Lock keypad (hold F for >1s) f. Confirm receiving signals in Xastir g. Move communication module around, checking that Xastir updates location 8. HOBO launch a. Close Xastir (serial port is needed to launch HOBO) b. Connect HOBO cable c. Launch HOBO logger d. Delete log file in Xastir log folder e. Reopen Xastir f. Reconfirm data reception g. Start trace on callsign h. Confirm that coordinates are reasonable by comparing with handheld GPS 9. Check experiment module operation a. b. c. d. e. f. 10. Camera a. Turn on camera

b. Turn on timer c. Confirm pictures are being taken d. Make sure the display is off 11. Switch on screamer circuit 12. Final check of APRS packet reception 13. Begin APRS packet logging 14. Connect parachute to balloon (redundant strings) 15. Connect parachute to hoop 16. Connect hoop to communications module 17. Connect communications module to experiment module 18. Launch CONTACT SHEET AND DIRECTIONS Contact Names and Phone Numbers:

Wright State University High Altitude Balloon Program Flight No.: Flight Date: / / LAUNCH DESCRIPTION AND PURPOSE Recorded by:

Wright State University High Altitude Balloon Program Flight No.: Flight Date: / / WEATHER FORECAST & FLIGHT PREDICTIONS Launch Site: Launch Time Window: : ± minutes. N,. W Launch Site Forecast (at launch time): High Altitude Wind Direction: knt (direction) Temp: F High/Low: / F Surface Wind: / mph Clouds: Precipitation: % UV Index: Sunrise: Other: Balloon Flight Simulation: Ascent Rate: Burst Altitude: Descent Rate: ft/min ft ft/min Estimated Flight Duration: Landings Site Bearing: Landing Site Range: Latitude: Longitude: minutes degrees miles. N,. W. N,. W Landing Site Forecast: Temp: F High/Low: / F Winds: / mph Clouds: Precip: % UVI: Expected Terrain: Predicted Recovery Route: Recorded by:

Wright State University High Altitude Balloon Program Flight No.: Flight Date: / / ACTUAL FLIGHT Launch Site:. N,. W Launch Site Conditions: Contents: 1. Command module: TH-D7/GPS tracking Camera Screamer Circuit Temperature logger Other: 2. Experiment module: Balloon Flight: Launch Time: Recovery Time: Ascent Rate (initial average): Ascent Rate (before burst average): Burst Altitude (Last GPS coordinate): ft/min ft/min ft Landing Site Bearing: Landing Site Range: Landing Site Latitude: Landing Site Longitude: Flight Duration: degrees miles. N,. W. N,. W minutes Landing Site Weather/Terrain Conditions: Additional Notes: Recorded by:

Wright State University High Altitude Balloon Program Flight No.: Flight Date: / / POST-LAUNCH SYNOPSIS Recorded by: