Ahmad Fayed, Joshua Lasseigne, Yumi Domangue, Eric Cross

In this paper the design and construction of a Weather Balloon Payload (cube satellite) is presented. The project is a continuation of previous projects sponsored and guided by Louisiana Space Grant Consortium (LaSPACE) through their program Louisiana Aerospace Catalyst Experiences for Students (LaACES). The objective is to measure temperature, pressure, humidity, and the DC output of solar photovoltaic (PV) panels during a trip from the surface of the earth to an altitude of 100,000 ft. The payload will be attached to a weather balloon and flown during the solar eclipse on April 8th, 2024. To accomplish this goal, a system that interprets input from multiple sensors and stores the data for analysis is developed. The data collected during the flight will be written onto an SD card to be analyzed upon return of the payload. Part of the process is to design housing for the payload to withstand the extreme temperature and pressure of space, as well as the severe turbulence of flight. Solar panels are incorporated in the payload’s housing design and are connected to a current sensor to evaluate the solar energy collected and therefore the amount of solar irradiance that may be collected during the flight. This data may be used in the future to determine the possibility of adding a solar charger on the payload, which would potentially allow for limited, self-maintained power during extended trips.

Kamryn Davis, Mohammad Ahmed

Additively manufactured thermoplastic foams can play a significant role in creating lightweight parts and reducing payload for future NASA missions. Among NASA’s In-Space Manufacturing initiatives, a Phase II SBIR funded project developed Customizable Recyclable ISS Packaging (CRISSP) system using fused deposition modeling (FDM) technology. Custom infill profiles were used to design foam packaging that can provide specific vibration characteristics or mechanical properties. Infill patterns and modifications of such is an inherent characteristic of 3D printing slicing engines which allow a user to incorporate lightweight features in the design. However, creating foam with closed cell morphology and macro or microporosity is challenging with FDM. Therefore, active foaming technology enabled feedstock filament could be a potential alternative to producing such foams. These filaments include an active blowing agent in the feedstock polymer that allows it to expand as it extrudes, resulting in an increase of its volume by as much as three times. Such capabilities when combined with FDM’s infill configurations, can generate foams that have tailorable mechanical properties while reducing launch mass. In this research, foams are designed using different design parameters (infill pattern, infill density), 3D printed using different print parameters (temperature, flow rate, and material type), characterized and tested for evaluating the process-structure-property relationships.