Abstract

The Arkansas BalloonSAT team has successfully launched and recovered 38 BalloonSAT’s dating back to the first flight on December 16, 2006. Numerous instruments measuring such things as atmospheric temperature, humidity, radiation, and light intensity have recorded data from different locations over the State of Arkansas. The initial focus of this project was outreach with the k-12 schools, and still involves outreach; however atmospheric research has become a significant component for this endeavor. This ongoing collaborative projection has involved a number of faculty and students from different academic backgrounds, including physics, chemistry, biology, and astronomy among the different ASGC schools who have contributed to this effort. The outreach work with k-12 teachers/students was highlighted in an article Students at the Edge of Space published in the journal The Science Teacher produced by the National Science Teachers Association (January 2008). A photograph taken from a camera mounted in one of the payload boxes flown on Arkansas BalloonSAT 6 made the cover of this journal. This paper looks specifically at light intensity profile measurements from Balloon-borne solar panels. Light intensity was not found to vary significantly considering temperature and voltage effects. At lower temperatures, voltage was found to be higher. BalloonSAT provides an effective inquiry based research for undergraduate students in addition to outreach in k-12 schools.

How to Cite:

Fong, B. N., Kennon, J. & Roberts, E., (2015) “Integrating K12 Outreach with Undergraduate & Graduate Student Research through BalloonSAT: High Altitude Balloons”, Academic High Altitude Conference 2015(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/ahac.5577