Strato
balloon
A KFK project.
© Gergely Attila, Rusu András.
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The aim of the high-altitude balloon is to deliver a measuring equipment to the Stratosphere (approximately 20 km above sea level), which contains a set of different sensors to collect atmospheric data. According to our best knowledge, only one similar mission took place in Transylvania in 2014 in Târgu Mureş. Our project is special because it is carried out entirely by university students.
The meteorological balloon filled with helium rising into the atmosphere will carry a payload of about 2 kg, which will be equipped with scientific measuring devices to enable the team to perform atmospheric measurements.
The purpose of the mission is to measure atmospheric data (including atmospheric pressure, relative humidity, temperature, ...) and the processing of this data. In addition, the unit will come with a camera that will also record ascent and descent with a parachute.
Our goal is not only to design, build and transport the payload into the stratosphere but also to find a parachute-descending unit, as strong winds can propel the payload up to 100 km away from the launch site. The position of the unit will be measured by a GPS receiver and the data will be transmitted by a radio transmitter (using LORA technology) to the ground team. From the moment of launch, the balloon will reach the critical height in about 1-2 hours, where it will burst under external pressure, at which point the unit will begin to fall with the parachute. The data measured by the sensors will also be recorded on an SD card so that no data will be lost in the event of a communication error. To track the unit, we also plan to program a live simulation that will be able to provide the most accurate estimate of a possible landing location based on variable ground meteorological data and data from the onboard unit.
Our further goal is to work together on a mission similar to large space missions, where participants can learn from each other and gain experience. In addition to the sensors, everything from the circuit to the parachute to the heat-insulated box is prepared and assembled by team members with careful planning.
And in the case of a high-altitude balloon, testing is also very important, because, like spacecraft, there is no possibility of direct physical interaction with the device during the mission, so any failure can mean the end of the mission, which can even result in the loss of the device. Thus, during the testing phase, the impact resistance of both the sensors and the radio communication and the outer box will be checked.
The outdoor launch (expected to take place in the second week of August 2022) is also a great opportunity for those interested to take a close-up view of an event like a real space exploration mission and see what’s going on behind the scenes. After the successful mission, we would like to promote the project and the Hungarian Institute of Physics of Babes Bolyai University in several Hungarian secondary schools in Transylvania, thus arousing the interest of young people in the sciences.
With our project, we want to prove that it is worthwhile to study further in the field of real or engineering sciences because with hard work many similar plans can be realized. There may be obstacles to the balloon being released due to unsuitable weather conditions, so we cannot set an exact date in advance.
Furthermore, it can be a problem that with the parachute, the unit can fall into difficult, rocky places that are inaccessible, or even into a chasm from which the beacon signals would not reach the ground unit.
