| Summary: | As part of a Mechanical Engineering Capstone project at Southern Utah University (SUU), we successfully launched three pico helium balloons from Cedar City, Utah. The mission goal was to analyze and predict the static and dynamic behavior of the balloon throughout its ascent. Using one-dimensional theoretical models, we predicted parameters such as temperature, pressure, altitude, ascending velocity, floating altitude, and buoyancy force. Weak signal propagation reporter tracking methods were used to monitor the balloon’s location and showed that the balloon reached a maximum altitude of 40,000 feet, closely matching our predicted values. The strong correlation between our theoretical analysis and launch data validated our models, demonstrating the effectiveness of our approach. The procedure for balloon preparation and launch has been developed and documented. This project serves as a foundation for future high-altitude balloon research and engineering applications at SUU.
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