Objective:
The ultimate goal of this project is to launch a model rocket from a High Altitude Balloon (HAB), and achieve altitudes higher than any HAB has been able to achieve. The current HAB records stands at 41.6km according to ARHAB.org. Note this is not an attempt to break the record, since the balloon itself won't reach these altitudes.
Rationale:
High Altitude Ballooning is a great hobby. It presents a multitude of challenges in the design, construction, launch, and recovery of a payload. Each of these challenges must be researched and tested thoroughly to ensure success. Anything less, and you're left with a big hole in your wallet and nothing to show for it!
My personal reasons for taking on this project include conversations with potential employers in the aerospace industry who have consistently impressed upon me the importance of getting one's hands dirty and working on personal projects. I can't begin to spell out how right they are: working on this project has taught me more than I ever would have imagined working on a personal project would teach me. I've built up a lot of skills, and not simply specific ones like programming a microcontroller, but even broader like how it's OK to copy someone else's solution if it fits your requirements (at least in engineering!), or the determination one needs in order to turn a dream into a reality.
The ultimate goal of this project is to launch a model rocket from a High Altitude Balloon (HAB), and achieve altitudes higher than any HAB has been able to achieve. The current HAB records stands at 41.6km according to ARHAB.org. Note this is not an attempt to break the record, since the balloon itself won't reach these altitudes.
Rationale:
High Altitude Ballooning is a great hobby. It presents a multitude of challenges in the design, construction, launch, and recovery of a payload. Each of these challenges must be researched and tested thoroughly to ensure success. Anything less, and you're left with a big hole in your wallet and nothing to show for it!
My personal reasons for taking on this project include conversations with potential employers in the aerospace industry who have consistently impressed upon me the importance of getting one's hands dirty and working on personal projects. I can't begin to spell out how right they are: working on this project has taught me more than I ever would have imagined working on a personal project would teach me. I've built up a lot of skills, and not simply specific ones like programming a microcontroller, but even broader like how it's OK to copy someone else's solution if it fits your requirements (at least in engineering!), or the determination one needs in order to turn a dream into a reality.
