ISAE-ENSMA at the frontiers of space

 

 

On Thursday, May 22, 2014, as part of the “ISAE-ENSMA at the Frontiers of Space” day, a stratospheric balloon release took place from the school forecourt, with the main objective of studying the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere.

This was the culmination of a year’s work for 4 student engineers in their first year at ISAE-ENSMA, with the support of Planète Sciences and CNES.

In addition to pressure, temperature and humidity sensors, a GPS, a camera and emission means, the gondola carried an “in-house” spectrometer tested in the laboratory, to measure the level of ozone in the troposphere and stratosphere:

  • The ozone present in the troposphere interacts with polluting compounds and is harmful to our health.
  • Stratospheric ozone, on the other hand, exists naturally between 20 and 40 km above sea level. It is the famous “ozone layer”, which is vital because it protects us from the ultraviolet rays emitted by the sun.

The flight chain consisting of the parachute, the radar reflector and the gondola were attached to the previously inflated balloon:

Then the balloon took off…