Lunar_Lander
New member
Because dbeachy1 asked for it: This is to introduce to you my stratospheric research project, which I gave the name “Project Στρατóσφαιρα“ which is the Greek word for “Stratosphere”, which I chose because of the fact that all physics and especially the theory of ballooning and buoyancy (namely Archimedes’ principle) originated from Ancient Greece. The objective of this project is to send small rubber balloons into the stratosphere (similar to the daily ascents of sounding balloons of the Weather Bureaus all around the world), but the payload of this balloon should be enhanced in comparison to the standard weather
probe.
The search for Scientific Institutions who could have interest in the flight was the next step. I found the following persons and institutions:
Germany:
· Dr. Ulrich Poeschl, Max Planck Institute of Chemistry, Mainz: Would like to fly a bacteria trap on the balloon.
· The Department of the Genetics of Microorganisms at the University of Osnabrueck: Would like to fly E. coli specimens on the balloon to investigate any changes that might occur to the DNA.
Czech Republic:
· CzechSpace: Would like to fly an STS-6 Geiger Counter Tube.
United States of America:
· INSPIRE Inc.: Would like to fly one of their VLF-3 receiver sets to investigate VLF wavepropagation in the stratosphere.
· Dr. Heidi Tissenbaum of the University of Massachusetts: Would like to fly Tardigrades to observe the survival rate of these organisms in the stratosphere.
Russia:
· Dr. Alexey Kondyurin: Would like to investigate how stratospheric conditions trigger polymerization of materials.
South Africa:
· Mr. Gerrit Avenant, SunSpace, University of Stellenbosch: Would like to provide an electric field mill to determine the electric field strength at different altitudes.
I also contacted several other institutions in countries which are not known for great scientific achievements, which did not reply yet:
Brazil:
· National Institute of Space Research: Works on the atmospheric distribution of greenhouse gases and ozone.
Peru:
· Dr. Domingo Rosales, Observatorio Geomagnetico de Hunacay Geophysical Institute of Peru: Works on the Measurement of the Geomagnetic field.
Ghana:
· Dr. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, University of Ghana: Works on Zoology.
Marshall Islands:
· Dr. Donald Hess, College of the Marshall Islands: Is the head of the local science department, possible cooperation is still being negotiated.
The UK High Altitude Society also gave me some very valuable pieces of information, such as an Excel spreadsheet which gives for a given balloon; gas inflation volume and payload weight data on ascent rate, time to balloon burst and maximum altitude. If a 1500g balloon is used and inflated to a diameter of 2 m (which corresponds to 4.2 cubic meters), it will carry 2.3 kg (which is the maximum payload according to the manufacturer) aloft at a rate of 3.2 m/s and reaching an altitude of 33,697 m (110,554 ft). The limit of 2.3 kg also gives, that any other experiment installed on the balloon
might only weigh up to 1.5 kg, thus giving with a small sensor platform and parachute system a payload weight of 2 kg, a safety margin of 300 g.
After burst, the payload will descend on a 72” parachute at a rate of 3.5 m/s. This Parachute (being white, yellow and orange for high visibility) is manufactured by Spherachutes Inc. of Greeley, Colorado, USA at a discounted price especially for the project. To pick it up, it will emit a signal on the European license-free frequency of 433 MHz, also, a prediction program by the University of Cambridge helps to determine the most possible landing spot/area.
I have shown my project to Dr. Thomas Prince of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology (a former member of the NASA Scientific Ballooning Program), and he says that although there are measurements being made with the huge polyethylene balloons, a student project would surely yield important information. Dr. Michael A. Gottlieb, the editor of the Feynman Lectures on Physics, stated that my project is not just valuable from the scientific point of view, but also offers great educational opportunities which should not be missed in his opinion.
I would like to include some school experiments, which are not complicated but would yield some nteresting results which would then motivate pupils to make their own experiments. As an example, I will include a roll of 35 mm-film on the first flight which will then show the impacts of the cosmic
rays.
The Costs of the Project are as follows: The Balloon System for the first flight would consist of the balloon ($120), parachute and the payload (lent from the respective research group), whereas someelectronic parts would need to be purchased (For this another $140 should be available, also to havesome reserves in case of emergency). Every successive flight would then only need a new balloon for $120. Thus we get: $120+$140=$260 for the first flight. A helium cylinder with 10 cubic meters of He would cost $270, but would last for 2.5 inflations.
Flight 1: ~260$+270$=530$
Flight 2: 120$
Flight 3: 120$+270$=390$
and so on...
It would be great and would be very appreciated if some you could decide on supporting the project, because it is at the very edge of being paid by myself, and it is a great scientific and educational effort. Suggestions on how to organize the supporting via PayPal would be appreciated too! Thank You!
probe.
The search for Scientific Institutions who could have interest in the flight was the next step. I found the following persons and institutions:
Germany:
· Dr. Ulrich Poeschl, Max Planck Institute of Chemistry, Mainz: Would like to fly a bacteria trap on the balloon.
· The Department of the Genetics of Microorganisms at the University of Osnabrueck: Would like to fly E. coli specimens on the balloon to investigate any changes that might occur to the DNA.
Czech Republic:
· CzechSpace: Would like to fly an STS-6 Geiger Counter Tube.
United States of America:
· INSPIRE Inc.: Would like to fly one of their VLF-3 receiver sets to investigate VLF wavepropagation in the stratosphere.
· Dr. Heidi Tissenbaum of the University of Massachusetts: Would like to fly Tardigrades to observe the survival rate of these organisms in the stratosphere.
Russia:
· Dr. Alexey Kondyurin: Would like to investigate how stratospheric conditions trigger polymerization of materials.
South Africa:
· Mr. Gerrit Avenant, SunSpace, University of Stellenbosch: Would like to provide an electric field mill to determine the electric field strength at different altitudes.
I also contacted several other institutions in countries which are not known for great scientific achievements, which did not reply yet:
Brazil:
· National Institute of Space Research: Works on the atmospheric distribution of greenhouse gases and ozone.
Peru:
· Dr. Domingo Rosales, Observatorio Geomagnetico de Hunacay Geophysical Institute of Peru: Works on the Measurement of the Geomagnetic field.
Ghana:
· Dr. Ebenezer Oduro Owusu, University of Ghana: Works on Zoology.
Marshall Islands:
· Dr. Donald Hess, College of the Marshall Islands: Is the head of the local science department, possible cooperation is still being negotiated.
The UK High Altitude Society also gave me some very valuable pieces of information, such as an Excel spreadsheet which gives for a given balloon; gas inflation volume and payload weight data on ascent rate, time to balloon burst and maximum altitude. If a 1500g balloon is used and inflated to a diameter of 2 m (which corresponds to 4.2 cubic meters), it will carry 2.3 kg (which is the maximum payload according to the manufacturer) aloft at a rate of 3.2 m/s and reaching an altitude of 33,697 m (110,554 ft). The limit of 2.3 kg also gives, that any other experiment installed on the balloon
might only weigh up to 1.5 kg, thus giving with a small sensor platform and parachute system a payload weight of 2 kg, a safety margin of 300 g.
After burst, the payload will descend on a 72” parachute at a rate of 3.5 m/s. This Parachute (being white, yellow and orange for high visibility) is manufactured by Spherachutes Inc. of Greeley, Colorado, USA at a discounted price especially for the project. To pick it up, it will emit a signal on the European license-free frequency of 433 MHz, also, a prediction program by the University of Cambridge helps to determine the most possible landing spot/area.
I have shown my project to Dr. Thomas Prince of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory of the California Institute of Technology (a former member of the NASA Scientific Ballooning Program), and he says that although there are measurements being made with the huge polyethylene balloons, a student project would surely yield important information. Dr. Michael A. Gottlieb, the editor of the Feynman Lectures on Physics, stated that my project is not just valuable from the scientific point of view, but also offers great educational opportunities which should not be missed in his opinion.
I would like to include some school experiments, which are not complicated but would yield some nteresting results which would then motivate pupils to make their own experiments. As an example, I will include a roll of 35 mm-film on the first flight which will then show the impacts of the cosmic
rays.
The Costs of the Project are as follows: The Balloon System for the first flight would consist of the balloon ($120), parachute and the payload (lent from the respective research group), whereas someelectronic parts would need to be purchased (For this another $140 should be available, also to havesome reserves in case of emergency). Every successive flight would then only need a new balloon for $120. Thus we get: $120+$140=$260 for the first flight. A helium cylinder with 10 cubic meters of He would cost $270, but would last for 2.5 inflations.
Flight 1: ~260$+270$=530$
Flight 2: 120$
Flight 3: 120$+270$=390$
and so on...
It would be great and would be very appreciated if some you could decide on supporting the project, because it is at the very edge of being paid by myself, and it is a great scientific and educational effort. Suggestions on how to organize the supporting via PayPal would be appreciated too! Thank You!
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