NASA Seeks Student Payloads for High-Flying Research Balloon
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WASHINGTON -- NASA is accepting applications from students at U.S.
colleges and universities who want to send their experiments to the
edge of space on a high-flying scientific balloon.
The annual NASA project provides near space access for 12
undergraduate and graduate student experiments to be carried by a
NASA high-altitude research balloon. The flights typically last 15 to
20 hours and reach an altitude of 23 miles. Experiments may include
compact satellites or prototypes.
The experiments are flown aboard the High Altitude Student Platform,
or HASP, a balloon-born instrument stack launched from the Columbia
Scientific Balloon Facility's remote site in Fort Sumner, N.M. The
goals of the project are to provide a space test platform to
encourage student research and stimulate the development of student
satellite payloads and other space-engineering products.
HASP seeks to enhance the technical skills and research abilities of
students in critical science, technology, engineering and mathematics
disciplines. The project is a joint effort between NASA and the
Louisiana Space Grant Consortium.
NASA's HASP houses and provides power, mechanical support and
communications for test articles and instruments. It can support
approximately 200 pounds of student payloads. Since 2006, the HASP
program has selected 44 payloads for flight, the work of more than
200 students from across the United States.
A question-and-answer teleconference for interested parties will be
held Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. EST. The deadline for applications is Dec.
18. NASA is targeting fall 2010 for the next flight opportunity. NASA
expects to make selections in January 2010. Teleconference dial in
information, application materials and technical details are
available in the Call for Proposals document at:
http://laspace.lsu.edu/hasp
Information about NASA's scientific balloon program is available at:
http://sites.wff.nasa.gov/
More information about NASA's education programs is available at:
http://www.nasa.gov/education
Source: NASA
