Project Balloon Bunch

Our Goal

See if there is wifi at 400 ft elevation Get some video footage from up there Drop an egg from at least tree top level And of course have fun

Our Plan

Use helium balloons to lift a payload Tether the entire thing to the ground Let it gently float the payload up above the trees. Get the goals done Reel in the balloons and payload Launch again to compleatly the next goal

Design Complications

The “guts” of paracord is too heavy too make the tether we needed so we used fishing line instead Eggs are heavy so we used a hollow egg Battery bricks are heavy so we used three aaa s

What happened

For the first launch we only launched a camera since the wifi tester was not done yet. We took it out to the launch area and unspooled it. It went up at an even rate until it got over the top of the trees. Up there the wind was much stronger and blowing towards the road. The balloons drifted towards the trees at a higher speed than it was rising. The string got caught on the left side of a tree than the wind eventually shifted and it almost hit another tree. Once it got caught we tried to get it free but couldn't. We took the rope through a bush to a better angle. At that better angle and at the best wind direction it still didn't get unstuck. So once there was no real chance of getting it untangled we hoped we could pull it through the tree. We pulled it in and the balloons hit the trees and got stuck. The teacher snapped and the balloons are still stuck in the tree.

Flight Problems

How it got stuck in the tree:

• The wind made it drift faster than it could rise
• We didn't pull it in fast enough that it wouldn't get caught
• it didn't have enough balloons to counteract the wind

What We Lost

We lost:

• Balloons
• Fishing line
• Astro cam

What Went Well

Things that went well:

• We launched a payload with helium balloons
• We got above the tree line
• It lifted a tether that did not break during flight

Lessons Learned

• Wind conditions at altitude matter more than ground-level wind
• Launching away from trees would reduce risk
• More lift is needed to overcome high winds
• A faster reel-in tool could help reduce risk

Improvements for Next Launch

• Use more balloons for increased lift
• Launch in lower wind conditions
• Test ascent speed before full launch
• Add an emergency payload release