Gateway to Space was a semester long projects class that I took at the University of Colorado Boulder. The class engages students in a total engineering design process by having them build a fully functional BalloonSAT which is launched on a high-altitude weather balloon.
Final Launch Ready BalloonSAT
Our team of eight was assigned early in the semester and we got to quick work developing this satellite. I was elected Team Leader by the group and tasked with ensuring that all deadlines were met, all materials were accounted for and completed. My other responsibility was ensuring the design and development of the exterior of the craft
Once the BalloonSAT was completed, our team along with many others drove out to Northern Colorado where we attached the payloads to a high altitude weather balloon and prepared them to travel upwards of 100,000 feet into the atmosphere.
Launch Day
Attached to the end of the balloon was a tracking device that we used to follow the payloads as they ascended and then fell back to the earth.
Tracking Data
Upon recovery we were able to assess the images and data that the satellite had taken on its way up to altitude. Unfortunatley, due to some corrupted files, we were unable to retrieve enough experimental data for analysis. We were able however, to recover some stunning images of the flight
Actual Images from on-board camera
