Monday, October 28, 2013

FSI Seminar Oct 30

Florida Space Institute Seminar Announcement

Speaker: Robert Peale
Affiliation: Physics, UCF
Day and Date: Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Time: 11:00 - 12:00

Location: Research Park
12354 Research Parkway
Partnership 1 Bldg. Suite 209
Orlando, FL 32826

Title Planetary Atmospheres Minor Species Sensor
Trace gasses are indicative of biologic activities and geologic activities on planets and their satellites as well as asteroids and comets.  Detection of trace gasses on Earth can also advance our understanding human impact on climate change.  Trace gas detection in Earth’s atmosphere as a balloon traverses the 30 km to the Stratosphere can be daunting as temperatures swing below -60C and air density drops below a point to sustain cooling of electronics by convection.  This necessary first step will qualify PAMSS, the Planetary Atmospheres Minor Species Sensor, and the first mid-infrared intracavity laser absorption spectrometer, for space flight.  The prototype system has demonstrated sensitivity to molecular absorption coefficients as small as 1 x 10^-5 cm^-1 (equivalent to a mixing ratio as small as 30 ppbv at 1 atm), and this is by no means a fundamental limit of PAMSS capabilities.  We present the results of our work to fly PAMSS to 30 km using Near Space Corporation’s Small Balloon System.  Technologies tested during the flight involve heat transfer and re-use, and autonomous data collection using COTS, along with self-alignment techniques to ensure data gathering throughout the flight with the goal of advancing the project to TRL6.
.For further information please the click below:
                         
Contact:
Ashley Kehoe / Josh Colwell
Department of Physics
Phone: 407-823-6306
Email: Ashley . Kehoe @ ucf . edu / jec @ ucf . edu
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