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Payload
on launcher rail just prior to launch into space |
EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INTO THE UPPER
ATMOSPHERE
Dr. Peter Erdman launches two sounding rockets from White Sands
Missile Range to measure greenhouse gases
DAYTONA BEACH, FL, - June 20, 2002 - Earlier this month Dr. Peter
Erdman ushered in a new program of research at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
On the morning of June 5th, two scientific payloads were launched aboard NASA
funded sounding rockets to collect greenhouse gases for analysis.
Dr.Erdman traveled out to White Sands,
NM along with a team of three EP students and graduate students to launch the
rockets. Each payload consisted of two major components, SAMPLER and VIRGO.
The SAMPLER payload uses three cold fingers to capture the atmospheric samples.
A cylinder is dropped to an ultra high vacuum on the order of a billionth of
an atmosphere and a cold finger is activated. The cold finger operates on compressed
Helium to drop the temperature to a few degrees above absolute zero (approximately
10 Kelvin or -263 degrees Celsius.) When the rocket reac`hes a certain altitude
the valves are opened and the atmospheric sample is frozen to the finger. This
allows the SAMPLER payload to take a snapshot of the contents of the upper atmosphere
for further research.
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A
picture perfect launch at White Sands Missile Range |
The primary purpose of these flights was to characterize
the CO2 abundance at mid latitudes. The results from this launch will contribute
directly to our knowledge of atmospheric energetics and atmospheric dynamics
in the upper mesosphere and lower thermosphere and will confirm or refute recentanalyses
of carbon dioxide mixing ratios The launch date was chosen to coordinate with
the TIMED satellite, currently in orbit around the Earth. This satellite is
carrying an instrument called SABER which is performing similar measurements
remotely.
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Dr.
Peter Erdman and Carla Guzzardo put finishing touches on the
VIRGO payload |
The secondary payload, VIRGO, was a student designed payload
section from an Engineering Physics senior design team project. The team was
offered the chance to piggy-back their experiment on Dr. Erdman’s rocket.
This idea, funded by Embry-
Riddle, allowed students to learn valuable lessons in taking
a design on paper and making it a reality. “The funding and sponsoring
of experimental research projects adds value to the Embry Riddle educational
experience.,” says Damon Burke, Research Engineer and graduate student
working in Erdman’s lab.
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Payload
on vibration table at Wallops Flight Facility |
The project was a joint effort between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical
University and NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility. Nearly two years of research
and testing went into the production of these payloads. During those years,
numerous students from the Engineering Physics degree program acquired valuable
hands-on experience with the project, experience they treasure as they graduate
and apply for jobs. Carla Guzzardo, a recent EP graduate working in Erdman’s
lab, believes, “the experience and practical knowledge I gained working
in Dr. Erdman’s lab is something you just can’t learn in a classroom
setting.”
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Launch Team
(pictured from left to right): Damon Burke, Carla Guzzardo, Pablo Martinez,
and Dr. Peter Erdman |
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