Project Info
Extreme Universe Space Observatory on Super Pressure Balloon: In Flight LED System
Lawrence Wiencke | lwiencke@mines.edu
It’s a opportunity to be involved in the flight hardware of a major Scientific Balloon Project. The instrument will include two 1 m diameter “telescopes”. The LED system is pulsed as a heath check of the instrument during flight. One LED system would be on the instrument and used during the mission. A second system, under consideration, could make an insitu far field test of the optics focusing by dropping it from the payload and recording the flashes as it fell to earth. The mission is a follow up to the EUSO_SPB1 2017 mission launched from Wanaka NZ. See references below for more detail.
More Information
https://arxiv.org/abs/1703.04513 White paper about the EUSO_SPB2 science goals and conceptual design of instrument
https://pos.sissa.it/301/1097/pdf EUSO_SPB1 mission and science
https://pos.sissa.it/301/448/pdf
reference design flown on the 2017 EUSO_SPB1 mission. We will use this design as a starting point and adapt it for the EUSO_SPB2 instrument.
http://spacephysics.uah.edu/kuznetsov/Health_LED/LED_Calibrator_Manual_r5.pdf (manual for SPB1 system)
http://spacephysics.uah.edu/kuznetsov/Health_LED/ full set of files
Student will work in astroparticle lab in CoorsTek building
Grand Engineering Challenge: Engineer the tools of scientific discovery
Student Preparation
Qualifications
have taking a course in analog electronics, or be taking one or experience working with analog electronics at the component level
Interest in electronics including design, fabrication, debugging, testing.
Interest in instrumentation including electronics and optics
Time Commitment
40 hours/month
Skills/Techniques Gained
Improve electronics & system design & and fabrication, especially as it applies to flight hardware
working with a research grade scientific balloon project (NASA sponsored)
Mentoring Plan
I will be the mentor.
We have an electrical engineer at University of Alabama Huntsville who design the earlier system available for consultation.