HIGH ALTITUDE BALLOON (HAB)
SENIOR DESIGN PROJECT
Odera Eziolisa
Dale Hardacre
Kaneisha Wilson
Advisors:
Joseph C. Slater, PhD, PE
J. Mitch Wolff, PhD
Bruce Rahn
Graduate Student Mentors:
Emily Henry
Nicholas Baine
Outline
• Project Importance
• Project Scope
• Design and Experimental Process
• Expected Results
• What issues/Problems we are facing
• Budget
Project Importance
• During natural disasters, amateur radio is often
the first form of communication.
• Practical use of handheld radio equipment in VHF
and above frequencies is limited to line of sight
propagation.
• The use of a repeater can greatly increase the
communications range of an amateur radio
operator.
Scope of Project
• For the scope of this project, the team will focus
on New Orleans, LA after Hurricane Katrina.
• The diameter of the designated communication
area was found to be 300 miles.
This Year’s Objective
• Maintain communication with the balloon for 24
hours within the designated communication area
This Year’s Objective
• Maintain communication with the balloon for 24
hours within the designated communication area
• Deploy a repeater into near space
• Stabilize altitude
• Change altitudes if needed
Background
Balloon
• What is a High Altitude Balloon?
• 60k-120k Feet
• Typically filled with helium or
hydrogen
Parachute
Reducing Ring
Payload Box
Initial Concepts
Concept
Pro’s
Con’s
Controlling the Initial
amount of Helium added
• Can be calculated to not
reach burst altitude
• Will ascend slowly
• Will decrease over time
• Cannot change altitudes on
control
Continuously Venting
Helium
• Will Stabilize at an initial
altitude
• Will decrease over time
• Cannot change altitudes on
control
• Life duration limited by the
amount of helium
Venting Helium & Dropping • Has been done
• Works well for stabilizing
Ballast
• Helium venting
• Added ballast weight
• Life duration restricted by
the amount of ballast and
helium
Multiple Helium Balloons & • Solution for venting the
helium balloons
Dropping Ballast
• More Material Costs
• Added ballast weight
• Life duration limited by the
amount of ballast and
helium
altitude
• Has altitude changing
capability
• Has altitude changing
capability
Basic Schematic
• Altitude Controlled through a Solar Balloon based
on the concept of NASA’s Long-Life Stratospheric
Balloon System
Timeline
Sept.
Background Research
Technical Training
Design
Training Launch
Build System/Ground
Testing
First Launch
Re-Design
Final Launch
Final Analysis
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
Expected Results
• Based upon collected wind data, the balloon can
stay within the necessary communications range
without use of a propulsion system.
• Using different altitudes the balloon will be able to
find changing wind speeds and directions to
control the balloon.
• Practical winds speeds are available above
60,000 feet.
Maximum Allowable Speed
• Favorable wind speeds can be observed during
the months of February and March between
60,000 and 100,000 feet.
Drift Range
• The diameter of the disaster area
is 𝑑=300 miles
• The radius 𝑟 is determined by the
altitude, 𝑟=√(2∗ℎ,) where ℎ is the
altitude in feet.
• The drift is the allowable
movement, in a straight line, of
the communications circle while
keeping the disaster circle within
its limits 𝑑𝑟𝑖𝑓𝑡=2𝑟−300
Drift Range
Repeater coverage versus disaster area with balloon at 100K feet.
Maximum Allowable Speed
• These calculations assume the balloon travels at
a constant speed in one direction.
Sample Wind Data February
2012
Wind Data February 2012
• Altitudes between 70,000 and 90,000 feet
have a significantly greater chance of success.
• Only 4 out of 29 days (14%) had average wind
speeds above the allowable maximum in all
altitude ranges.
Other Challenges
• Equipment must operate at extreme temperatures in
vacuum.
• Long duration testing is required due to length of flight
• Create a mechanism to allow for emergency drop
procedures if communication with balloon is lost.
• Timed-drop mechanism that can be reset with
handheld device
Other Challenges
• Design package to keep all of the component
temperature within their designed operating
range.
• To do this analysis we will have to know constants
such like the heat transfer coefficient and the
thermal conductivity of the material that makes up
the wall of the control module.
Budget
Timeline
Sept.
Background Research
Technical Training
Design
Training Launch
Build System/Ground
Testing
First Launch
Re-Design
Final Launch
Final Analysis
Oct.
Nov.
Dec.
Jan.
Feb.
Mar.
Apr.
?’s