WKU News & Events

November 29, 2001

Balloon Launch First Step Into
Space For WKU Program

Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University's ambitious space science project takes another step forward next week with the launch of an ozonesonde balloon into the stratosphere.

"For the STARBASE program, this is a milestone," said Dr. Gerald Lehmacher, research associate in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. "This is the first launch operation for Western."

STARBASE (Students Training for Achievement in Research Based on Analytical Space-science Experiences) is a program to involve high school and college students in space science research, including involvement in space-based astrophysical missions as the ultimate goal.

As part of STARBASE, Western will develop suborbital space missions to build on the scientific expertise gained through its robotic telescope network and to establish partnerships that provide engineering expertise.

The balloon launch, scheduled between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. Wednesday at the WKU farm off Nashville Road, is the first such space science mission.

"One of the major objectives of STARBASE is for Western Kentucky University to get involved in space research," said Dr. Charles McGruder, head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy. "The balloon launch is the first concrete step into space for WKU."

Two engineers from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia will be at the farm to assist in the launch and data retrieval.

"Having NASA send people to Western shows we are on the map," Dr. McGruder said. "That's a compliment and a reflection of the quality work we are doing."

Dr. Lehmacher said goals for the balloon launch include obtaining ozone data for undergraduate student research; raising awareness about Western's astrophysical program; and providing additional opportunities for student experiments and launches.

The balloon, similar to those launched by the National Weather Service, will carry a small array of instruments, including the ozonesonde and a radio transmitter.

As the balloon carrying the instrument package rapidly ascends through the atmosphere to an altitude of up to 20 miles, the ozonesonde sends information on ozone and standard meteorological quantities such as pressure, temperature and humidity to a ground receiving station. The heart of the ozonesonde is an electrochemical concentration cell that senses ozone as it reacts with a dilute solution of potassium iodide to produce a weak electrical current proportional to the ozone concentration of the sampled air.

At some point, the balloon will burst and the instrument package, carried by a small parachute, will descend.

The study of ozone levels remains important, Dr. Lehmacher said, as researchers look at the levels of bad ozone (air pollution) in the troposphere and levels of good ozone (providing ultraviolet protection) in the stratosphere.

"The whole ozone issue is still a concern for the scientific community and the general public," he said.

The balloon launch is open to students and the public and will take place at the L.D. Brown Agricultural Exposition Center. Dr. Lehmacher is hoping for a sunny launch day but said the event would only be delayed by wintry weather or high winds.

For more information, contact Dr. Gerald Lehmacher at (270) 745-6201. More WKU news is available on the World Wide Web at www.wku.edu. If you'd like to receive WKU news via E-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.