(Cazenovia, NY – Nov. 14, 2013) After spending 10 weeks designing and building a space-bound cooler full of electronics, a Cazenovia High School senior engineering class on Nov. 22 plans to launch the payload into the stratosphere – by way of weather balloon.
Their goal: To capture video and data from an altitude of 105,000 feet.
The launch will take place, weather-permitting, at 8:30 a.m. at Pittsford-Mendon High School near Rochester, along with two balloons from a local class there. Cazenovia students plan to track the launch from Room 231 in the high school, on computers equipped with specialized tracking software and radio equipment installed in the balloon, which is expected to land somewhere within a 50-mile radius of Binghamton.
Cazenovia students will track their project via computers. Members of the launch and recovery teams also will be available via Skype and cell phone.
Led by technology teacher Chris Hurd, students in Cazenovia’s engineering design and development class worked in small groups to tackle various aspects of the project, including protection, weather conditions, tracking and recovery, FAA regulations, programming, the structural design of the payload and the actual launch of the high-altitude balloon.
To protect the payload of electronics, students decided to use Styrofoam coolers for their insulating properties and impact resistance. Inside the box, they secured high-definition video cameras, GPS, radio equipment and electronic temperature and altitude sensors to record data. Hand warmers were used to keep the electronics warm enough to function in the harsh conditions of the stratosphere, where temperatures will likely reach an estimated 70 degrees below zero.
To lift the payload, the class is using a weather balloon filled with helium. This balloon will reach the desired final altitude of approximately 105,000 feet. It then will descend with the help of a 36-inch nylon parachute.