Скачать или смотреть 29 L2F Eastern MI University Ypsilanti High Winds and Brittle Vents

High Winds and Brittle Vents
Abstract:
A team from Eastern Michigan University launched a high altitude weather balloon near Albuquerque, New Mexico, during the annular solar eclipse on October 14, 2023. We report on some interesting results from this test launch. Intense vertical winds were observed during the ascent which seem to be caused by an updraft due to the mountainous area. Additionally, the ventilation system during the flight was unresponsive, and after recovery, the vent system was found to be completely destroyed. We also found that the ventilation system sheared cleanly at the neck and that the neck itself was unable to be located during recovery, suggesting that the break happened at altitude, possibly due to a collision between payloads. We believe the shear happened at the location of maximum stress on the vent, which at this point became brittle due to the cold temperatures. These two incidents suggest that further analysis and testing of the ventilation system is required and launch procedures need to be modified to account for dynamic weather conditions prior to the next balloon launch. This presentation will cover more in detail what the weather balloon encountered in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and the testing that the Eastern Michigan University team has planned for the ventilation system.