ARC Near-Space Balloon

[MaverickSawyer]

Hey there, Orbinauts! My college Engineering Club is designing a Near-Space Balloon, with a target altitude of about 100K feet. We're looking for advice and guidance on how to proceed, especially in the area of recovering the payload.:shrug:
If anybody has any experience with this, I would greatly enjoy talking with you.

 

[Star Voyager]

I helped built a NSB back in 2007. We stuck a parachute on the main payload (a camera) that dangled from the balloon itself so when it popped, the parachute would deploy when it hit denser air. Unfortunately, it splashed down in the Atlantic. Make sure you get clearance from the FAA and (maybe) the nearest AFB. Good luck :thumbup:!

 

[jangofett287]

The bbc's big bang theory (The science show, not the comedy) did something similar. I'll see if I can dredge the video up from youtube.

EDIT: One mistake down, its bang goes the theory, not the big bang theory. Easy mistake to make, on with the search!

EDIT2: here it is!

whether or not you'll be able to view it in the US is another matter, but oh well.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

A local rep from the FAA is helping us with the paperwork for getting it into the air, so I think that we can legally fly it.

 

[RisingFury]

Contact Lunar_Lander. He has some hands-on experience.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Is he still active? I don't want to send a message to an inactive account...:uhh:

 

[Loru]

He joins O-F IRC from time to time so join and hunt him

 

[PennyBlack]

These guys have done it on the cheap. It might be of interest and I thought of your college Engineering Club when I was reading it.

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/876988-...rom-printer-and-helium-balloon-could-take-off

 

[Shootingiron]

Considering there is a lot of ocean for payloads to fall into, have you considered using telemetry to get your data back, or are you looking to return physical samples?

Other wise, If you are looking to get physical samples back ... fit the payload with a gps cell phone and have it call and email you with data and images and with the lat/long when it lands. Maybe have a regular cell phone as a backup.

I'd hit up a local parachuting club/school or a properly packed/rated 'chute. Maybe they could donate the rigging? =)

Also, parachutes do have the chance of failure so maybe fit your payload with two balloons .. a main one to get you to altitude and a second one with slightly less buoyancy than your payloads weight so it will float nicely to the ground.

 

[RisingFury]

Is he still active? I don't want to send a message to an inactive account...:uhh:

Inactive accounts don't bite, you know.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

We're more concerned about it winding up in the mountains on the East side of the Central Valley. We are also purchasing the parachute, and attaching the 'chute directly to the balloon. We are going to loft a SPOT Tracker as well to make it easier to recover.

 

[RisingFury]

We're more concerned about it winding up in the mountains on the East side of the Central Valley. We are also purchasing the parachute, and attaching the 'chute directly to the balloon. We are going to loft a SPOT Tracker as well to make it easier to recover.

Make sure to include a system that cuts the balloon away if certain parameters are reached - flight time too long or distance too far. Recently an Australian balloon flew 1400 km somewhere from Victor Harbor and landed a few kilometers off sore near Sydney.

You can program your flight computer to cut the balloon off and end the flight prematurely if enters an area where you don't want it to fly.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

We're trying to apply the KISS principle to this, so we are just going to let the balloon burst to initiate descent. We'll be observing a weather balloon launch in Reno, NV on the 15th. We may gain some new ideas on that trip.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Status Update: Tomorrow we are going to build the payload enclosure for the balloon. We have also been pointed to High Altitude Balloon Hub by Lunar_Lander, and have found it to be immensely helpful.

 

[MaverickSawyer]

Status Update: the campus police are mighty unhappy with our choice of parachute testing locations... We got it stuck 30 feet up in a tree. Chute's fine, no tears in the fabric, but we're going to have to wait until Friday to find out the punishment, if there is one.

 

[mojoey]

so its balloon only? or can you use 'flammable' assistance? Id suggest trying to figure in a suitable trajectory... Im thinking that you are launching in the vicinity of Sacramento, if your feeling lucky...and the winds are in your favor, stick floats and a GPS locator on the return package, and put down near the coast and recover it. However if they arent, i cant really help you good luck

 

[MaverickSawyer]

No energetic materials, including hydrogen as the lifting gas. We hope to launch from near Winters, past Davis. Winds should carry it towards the Sierra Nevadas, so a low-wind day at high altitude is ideal.

 

[mojoey]

shoot, i thought you were in the LA area, if you were id suggest hoping for a trajectory for the high desert... however, youre plan will work too, just take a AWD vehicle with you

 

[MaverickSawyer]

nah, swamp crawler for the rice fields in the causeway

 

[mojoey]

*rolls eyes* whatever floats your boat