Funded by the California Space Grant and led by UC San Diego professor John Kosmatka, the Near-Space Balloon Team at UC San Diego is planning to fly a helium-filled, zero-pressure balloon across the United States, propelled only by the capricious winds of the jet stream. If successful, this would be the first time a U.S. university would have completed this mission.<\/p>\n
The team composed of six undergraduates and one graduate student are conducting the launch as part of a program meant to prepare engineering students for the workforce through hands-on projects and teach them the basic principles in science and engineering.<\/p>\n
The balloon is about 26 feet long and can be filled with 291 cubic feet of helium. Attached to the balloon is a 5-pound payload box which includes several tracking systems, environmental and atmospheric sensors, a camera and a particle collector designed by using VCR parts and tape. The team will use a UC San Diego scanning electron microscope to analyze the particles collected during the flight and analyze their make-up.<\/p>\n
The flight is scheduled to take place in the next few months from UC San Diego’s campus.<\/p>\n
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