(CGUHS) Near Space Research Team recently launched a custom-built instrumentation payload on a high-altitude weather balloon as a part of the NASA/AZ ASCEND project. The payload was designed by the students to gather data on atmospheric pressure, temperature, humidity, UV-C, and O2 levels in the upper stratosphere. The payload also included a 3-axis magnetometer, a 3-axis accelerometer, and two cameras for capturing 4K video.
ASCEND! (Aerospace STEM Challenges to Educate New Discoverers) is an Arizona Space Grant Consortium statewide Workforce Development program designed to involve undergraduate students from across Arizona in the full "design-build-fly-operate-analyze" cycle of a space mission. Across our state, student teams from The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Arizona Western College, Glendale Community College, Pima Community College (NW), Central Arizona College (Signal Peak), Phoenix College, and Casa Grande Union High School, design and build small payloads for launch from high-altitude weather balloons. Teams measure various atmospheric parameters as a function of altitude up to about 100,000 feet and some obtain a series of timed images of the Earth throughout the balloon's ascent to characterize surface features, cloud structure, and the Earth's curvature. Participation in this program is geared to complement regular classroom learning by offering direct hands-on immersion with the full mission cycle--something few NASA or aerospace industry scientists and engineers ever see through.
In addition to designing, building, programming, and testing the payload during the semester, our students assisted with inflating and launching the balloon at the launch site. Zach Buchanan (SO) and Hailianna Rodgers (FR) assisted in preparing the balloon for launch while Emily Geen (SR) was the payload handler who participated in the lift-off of the team’s payload. Other students on the team include Axel Carrera, Peyton Posey, Rayne Tarmann, and Alicianna Villanueva. The data analysis team consists of Landri Howard (JR) and Ethan Morgan (JR). Howard and Morgan will analyze the returned data using programming techniques that they will write in the Python programming language.
The team will present the analysis of their data, along with the Spring 2025 flight data, at the AZ NASA Space Grant Symposium at ASU Skysong in April 2025.