Python and the bio-conquest of space

15

Jun, 2022

Would life in the stratosphere be possible?

The method of teaching science is one of the differences between the French system and the French system. Lycée français Molière. Learning through experience means not memorising, but practising, reasoning, deducing and learning by doing. This is demonstrated by Terminale students in this experience that has lasted several months: Python and the bio-conquest of space.

Mid-December 2021: First meeting of the eight volunteer physics chemistry students: Daniel, Ana, Adrián, Cloé, Ignacio, Natalia, Marc and Diego.

December 2021: first brainstorming, distribution of tasks according to skills.

January 2022: We chose to use microcontrollers for our experiment. We will have to learn how to use them correctly. In addition, a new problem arises: how are we going to save the data? We quickly overcome this obstacle: a simple SD memory stick will collect the data, which will help us enormously.

February 2022: The first circuits are starting to give good results. We put them through various tests, for example in a freezer to simulate stratospheric temperatures. This is possible thanks to special batteries that can withstand temperatures as low as -40°C, one of several purchases we have been able to make thanks to the sponsorship of SICE.

From December to May, dough will be our main concern: no more than 300 grams. From now on, every extra gram counts. That is why we must choose every component and every material meticulously.

March 2022: Each according to their competences ventures in a particular direction. Daniel is in charge of the Python program that will read the data collected on the SD memory. Marc and Diego specialise in the 3D design of the box and its corresponding printing on the new printer, of which we don't know how it works.

Cloé and Adrián are in charge of the Arduino program that will read the data from the different sensors.

Natalia, Ana and Ignacio are in charge of the greener side of the project, as well as managing the social networks.

Beginning April 2022: our sponsor, the company SICE and the University of Zaragoza give us training on the analysis of the data stored by the sensors, on Python programming and microcontrollers in terms of air quality analysis.

Engineers and professors from various universities specialising in telecommunications, electronics and artificial intelligence answered all our questions.

In addition, they helped us materially by allowing us to manipulate different sensors, Arduino boards, etc...

End of April 2022: after experiencing various technical problems with the saving of the 3D design, our capsule finally sees the light of day. It is now crucial to choose the right materials to protect the components and to position them as well as possible (they must withstand a fall from a third floor).

April 2022: All the sensors have been correctly programmed on the Arduino Uno and everything is running smoothly!

Friday 13 May 2022:

The big day is approaching, we are meeting at Etopia (Zaragoza) to present our capsule to the organisers.

The mass is 350 g, but we still passed the check and will be able to send it into space tomorrow.

We were impressed by Etopia's Open Lab, and were warmly welcomed by the staff who gave us a tour of the different machines and technologies used.

Saturday 14 May:

It's the big day, the tension is palpable in the atmosphere but we are confident, we shouldn't encounter any problems at this stage...

We receive the visit of M. Jégou, our director, who comes to help us and to take advantage of this unforgettable adventure.

They tell us that the balloon probe is ready, that it is time to launch the capsules. CATASTROPHE, it is impossible to start the capsule, the button on our system has been blocked, we can't believe it. Everyone crowds around us, watching our agitation.

But... in less than two minutes we solve the problem by applying a large amount of hot silicone that dries quickly (thanks to the Burgos team for letting us have the material!). The problem is solved, but... will the Arduino work correctly with the button in this state?

Impossible to know, but time is short.

The button did not CLICK, this was mainly due to the layout of the box as the button was “pressed” in.

Everything is ready for the launch.

The ascent reaches an altitude of 35,000 m!

This same ascent will end when the balloon probe explodes due to low pressure.

Thanks to the screen we were able to follow live the location of the balloon probe and compare the modelling carried out by the organisers. The forecasts are very close to reality. Bravo!

All that's left to do now is to wait and enjoy the well-deserved picnic.

We try to be optimistic about our experiment, but... Will the arduino work properly?

Back at Etopia at around 6pm, the organisers return the capsules to us.

The tension is mounting all the time. Our capsule is very hot and smells of burning...

Our lentils have burnt, and boiled. We had anticipated extremely low temperatures, but no one could have imagined that the battery and the arduino could heat up the capsule so much.

The moment is approaching... We remove the SD card from the installation and insert it into the computer... Will the data have been saved correctly? Will the Arduino have worked, or will it have remained like our lentils?

Everything worked perfectly, the Arduino board was not damaged and the data was saved uninterruptedly for 5 hours.

Daniel and his Python program have to take over and must present the recorded data in the form of graphs.

The results obtained allow us to come to the following conclusion: some sensors did not work properly, while others did. This was to be expected as we were informed about this in the previous training.

Would living in the stratosphere be possible?

Hypothesis: plants can be grown at this altitude.

First conclusionsThere is a chance that they can be grown, but the journey may be more of a problem than the stay in the stratosphere.

Quartz

We cannot conclude that vibrations vary with altitude at the moment, but if they do, the duration of the seconds can be adapted to make modern life possible.

An enriching experience in both aspects: scientific and cultural. Our students met with students from Seville, Barcelona and Tenerife during the weekend.