Kids in space (nearly)
By Benjamin and Jason, with Eric Hartwell - September 20-21, 2007
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JP Aerospace is a volunteer-based organization achieving cheap access to space by just doing it. Part of their mission is to get lots of people involved in space exploration, science and engineering. One of the ways they do that is through the PongSat program. It’s a completely free program, open to anyone, but especially aimed at K-12 students.
A PongSat is an experiment that can fit inside of a ping pong ball. To date JPA has flown over 2000 PongSats involving over 8000 students.
[edit] Payloads
We decided to prepare some experiments for the Away 34 mission. We used:
- 6 dollar store ping-pong balls, Guanxi brand (Instructions: "Keep away from Children's mouths")
- 100% generic "chewy bears"
- 100% generic "mini marshmallows"
- 100% generic microwave popcorn kernels
- 100% authentic Smarties®
| ID | Contents | What we expect | Why? |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3151 | 4 popcorn kernels | Ben: I think they might half pop (open up) Eric: I don't expect much to happen Jason: I think it will crack open but not pop | |
| 3152 | 1 red chewy bear | Ben: I think they will melt a tiny bit then freeze and crack Eric: I think they will dry on the outside and crack Jason: I think it will go rock hard than crack | |
| 3153 | 1 red + 1 green chewy bear | ||
| 3154 | 1 mini marshmallow | Ben: I think they will shrink and freeze Eric: I think they will swell then freeze-dry Jason: I think they'll shrink like 5 mm and then go rock hard | |
| 3155 | 3 mini marshmallows | ||
| 3156 | Smarties: 1 red, 1 green, 1 blue | Ben: I think they will crack Eric: I didn't expect much to happen, but then I saw somebody else's results so I won't say. Jason: I think they're going to go stale and hard |
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[edit] Ground/Control experiments
- We put some mini-marshmallows in the freezer. They shrink when frozen; we'll leave them there to see if they dehydrate in the long-term.
- We heated a chewy bear and mini marshmallow in the microwave oven.
- The bear melted into a very thin, sticky puddle almost immediately.
- The marshmallow expanded to several times its size and started to brown around the edges. It was a very hot, sticky treat just like the campfire version, except not as burned.
- We were going to keep some bears and Smarties as ground-level controls, but somebody (Eric) ate them.
[edit] Construction
It may have been the dollar-store ping-pong balls we used, but cutting the PongSats open was a challenge. The trick is to wedge them solidly enough that they don't slip, while not clamping them hard enough to crush them. Also, the ball tends to grip the blade as soon as it cuts through. We left a small piece of the ball attached to act as a hinge.
We used a small nail to punch some holes in each ball to guarantee they aren't air-tight. It turned out the best way to do this is the simplest: hold the ball in one hand, and gently push a narrow nail through with your other.
Once the PongSats were loaded, we taped the halves back together using clear tape.
 [edit] JP Aerospace Away 34 missionAway 34 is scheduled to launch in September 2007 from Black Rock, NV, with spots for 50 PongSats. Mission goals:
Away 34 is going to be a stepping-stone mission for us. We have a new set of radios that we will be testing with an improved antenna array for added range. Our flight software is undergoing a few revisions to make them more reliable, more modular and more compatible with the newer radios. The mission weight is significantly less than our previous configurations, so we're expecting a fast climb and ultimately, a high altitude, assuming we hit the fill weight correctly. We are also going to be testing a few new additions to our launch bags that will make it even easier to launch in high crosswinds with changing wind directions. |