ASCEND! Aerospace STEM Challenges to Educate New Discoverers

2023-2024 Important Dates

November 17, 2023 - ASCEND PreLaunch Workshop
November 18, 2023 - ASCEND Fall Launch
March 22, 2024 - ASCEND PreLaunch Workshop
March 23, 2024 - ASCEND Spring Launch
April 19-20, 2024 - AZ Space Grant Statewide Student Research Symposium

Background

"ASCEND!" (Aerospace STEM Challenges to Educate New Discoverers) is an Arizona Space Grant Consortium statewide Workforce Development program designed to involve undergraduate students from across Arizona in the full "design-build-fly-operate-analyze" cycle of a space mission. Across our state, student teams from The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Arizona Western College, Glendale Community College, Pima Community College (NW), Central Arizona College (Signal Peak), Phoenix College, Diné College, and Casa Grande Union High School, design and build small payloads for launch from high altitude weather balloons. Teams measure various atmospheric parameters as a function of altitude up to about 100,000 feet and some obtain a series of timed images of the Earth throughout the balloon's ascent to characterize surface features, cloud structure, and the Earth's curvature. Participation in this program is geared to complement regular classroom learning by offering direct hands-on immersion with the full mission cycle--something few NASA or aerospace industry scientists and engineers ever see through.

Take a look at this introductory ASCEND video created by Paul Ronquillo (former Phoenix College ASCEND student team lead).

Want more ASCEND tutorials? Check out Paul's accounts on YouTube and BitChute!

YouTube BITCHUTE

And find information on his GitHub Repository

ASCEND! Photo Collection

ASCEND! Payload Requirements:

Each payload must contain an imaging component interfaced with a tracking device (altitude, latitude/longitude). In addition, atmospheric experiments may be determined by each university design team, depending upon goals determined in consultation with program mentors.

Additional and/or alternative innovative engineering or science projects, which are not related to an atmospheric study but which could benefit from the high altitude/low temperature environment (for example, testing the reliability of power cells under low temperature and low pressure conditions), are encouraged. These additional/alternative projects are subject to weight, size and cost restrictions determined for the project and the viability of the experiments in the extremes of the upper atmospheres, where temperatures drop to -60 or -70 °C and atmospheric pressures are nearly negligible.

Design Tasks:

Building a light-weight, mechanically and thermally stable container for the experiments.
Correlating the data from your design package with the standard ANSR launch package (i.e., at a minimum, your data/experiment must have a clock/timestamp that is synchronized with the ANSR clock) to allow correlation of the images and any atmospheric data with altitude and geographic location with appropriate timing circuits and self-contained power supplies to drive all components of the package.
It is also desirable for your team to monitor and record telemetry for the balloon payload.

Operations:

All costs (within a specified budget) will be provided for the project. Each semester, teams will congregate in central Arizona for Friday evening pre-launch training workshops followed by Saturday launch and chase-down activities.

Teams will have opportunities to discuss their ASCEND design with representatives from our ANSR launch providers and teams from other participating universities several times throughout the semester during monthly telecons. During these meetings, participants may ask questions, share experiences, and present their ideas for peer response.

In April, at the end of each program year, team members will present the results of their year's ASCEND! research and development projects at the statewide Arizona/NASA Undergraduate Research Internship Program Symposium in a topical session devoted to high altitude balloon science.

Find information from our launch provider at Arizona Near Space Research (ANSR).

Flight Data:

Date	ASCEND! FLT#	ANSR Flt#	Launch site	Altitude (ft)	Notes
04/01/2023	50	144	Near AZ60 & I-10 Interchange		Upon filling balloon, ANSR noticed there was a hole in it so we had to fill a new balloon causing a slight delay. Balloon landed near Aguila, AZ in difficult area. ANSR had to retrieve the payloads and then distribute to the ASCEND teams.
04/01/2023	49	143	Near AZ60 & I-10 Interchange		Balloon landed near Aguila, AZ in difficult area and had to be retrieved by ANSR to be handed off to the ASCEND student teams.
11/19/2022	48	141	UA Maricopa Agricultural Center	102,272	Difficult retrieval; payloads landed quite a ways off road and required a hike to retrieve the payloads from a desert wash.
11/19/2022	47	140	UA Maricopa Agricultural Center	100,420	Upon burst, it appears that pieces of the balloon wrapped around the parachute and prevented it from fully opening. Quick descent and impact at ~55 mph. Payloads felt the impact!
4/02/2022	46	138	Freeman Road exit, Gila Bend	97,000
4/02/2022	45	137	Freeman Road exit, Gila Bend	91,000
11/20/2021	44	135	AZ-85, approx. 12mi S. of Gila Bend	102,303	ANSR flight-135 climbed at a faster rate than ANSR flight-134. ADSB-B for 135 worked throughout the flight.
11/20/2021	43	134	AZ-85, approx. 12mi S. of Gila Bend	103,670	The landing site was more than 20mi east of the predicted area. The ADS-B for ANSR-134 worked shortly after liftoff but then stopped working. Upon recovery, it was discovered that the battery in the case had shifted during flight and pulled the power pole connector apart.
3/27/2021	42	132	UA Maricopa Agricutural Center	coming soon...
3/27/2021	41	131	UA Maricopa Agricultural Center	coming soon...
10/24/2020	40	130	Gila Bend, AZ		Make-up flight for Spring 2020 launch that was canceled due to Covid
11/23/2019	39	129	Pinal County, AZ	105,882	2nd balloon (129) passed first balloon, but 128 went farther down range due to slower ascent rate
11/23/2019	38	128	Pinal County, AZ	106,909	2nd balloon (129) passed first balloon, but 128 went farther down range due to slower ascent rate
11/12/2019	37	127	Dine College Campus, Tsaile, AZ	101,755
3/30/2019	36	124	Pinal County, AZ	91,202	onboard data loggers may have captured a slightly higher altitude
3/30/2019	35	123	Pinal County, AZ	96,819	onboard data loggers may have captured a slightly higher altitude
3/26/2019	34	122	Dine College campus, Tsaile, AZ	75,927	onboard data loggers may have captured a slightly higher altitude
11/17/2018	33	121	Maricopa	103,218
11/17/2018	32	120	Maricopa	106,555
3/3/2018	31	116	Dateland	96,400
3/3/2018	30	115	Dateland	96,400
11/17/2017	29	113	Gila Bend	97,500
11/17/2017	28	112	Gila Bend	97,500
4/1/2017	27	106	Maricopa
4/1/2017	26	105	Maricopa
11/19/2016	25	104	Stanfield	91,405
11/19/2016	24	103	Stanfield	101,692
4/2/2016	23	98	Maricopa	94,467
4/2/2016	22	97	Maricopa	96,619
11/21/2015	21	95	Maricopa	73,640
11/21/2015	20	94	Maricopa	78,816
3/1/2015	19	88	W. Pinal Park	94,688
11/1/2014	18	86	Maricopa	93,483
3/29/2014	17	81	Freeman Exit I-8	73,794
11/23/2013	16	78	Dateland	86,349
3/23/2013	15	74	Maricopa	93,000
11/17/2012	14	71	Maricopa	97,940
3/31/2012	13	67	Maricopa	97,940
11/19/2011	12	65	Quartzsite	89,977
3/26/2011	11	60	Gila Bend	85,978
11/20/2010	10	59	Quartzsite	96,214
3/27/2010	9	54	Gila Bend	86,450
11/21/2009	8	52	Gila Bend	93,538
4/4/2009	7	48	Gila Bend	89,676
11/22/2008	6	47	Goldwater Rng	95,867
4/5/2008	5	43	Gila Bend	92,209
11/17/2007	4	41	Maricopa	99,229
4/14/2007	3	37	Freeman Exit I-8	92,834
1/27/2007	2	34	Maricopa	98,856	delayed from 11/6/2006 (Weather)
11/19/2005	1	27	Maricopa	105,761

ASCEND!

ASCEND!

ASCEND!

ASCEND!

ASCEND!

ASCEND!

ASCEND!

ASCEND!

ASCEND!

ASCEND!

Ham Radio Workshop

GCC ASCEND

ASCEND!

ASCEND! Aerospace STEM Challenges to Educate New Discoverers

2023-2024 Important Dates

Background

ASCEND! Payload Requirements:

Design Tasks:

Operations:

Find information from our launch provider at Arizona Near Space Research (ANSR).

Flight Data: