Astrogazers: Mission Aspiration – weather balloon launch success!

Ever since I was a child, I’ve dreamed of venturing into space, little did I know back then that I would one day be planning a mission for girls to send not just one, but two weather balloons to the edge of space! The success of Mission Aspiration was the result of immense dedication, tremendous hard work and meticulous planning and preparation.

The first mission launch in June 2023

The first mission of Astrogazers was to launch a weather balloon to an altitude of 36000m in June. Unfortunately, strong wind gusts led to a friction burn between the release cord and the parachute cord, resulting in an unsuccessful launch.

Despite Astrogazers running like a “well-oiled machine”, the launch failure gave us the opportunity to reflect on what worked and what could have been done better. As a result, Astrogazers became resilient, motivated, and determined to make the next launch successful. And we did just that!

Having launched ‘generation 1’ payload in the penultimate week of the summer term, we agreed on a having longer launch window in September with University of Bath. We wanted to take advantage of the favourable wind speeds that September offered before the average wind speed increased closer to autumn. With less than a week to go before the summer holidays started, we planned to meet every week virtually to make plans for the upcoming mission, aptly named “Mission Aspiration” by Ms Davies. We bought a new kit to start building two ‘generation 2’ payloads, each named after a pioneering female figure in Physics. The payloads were named Sharman payload and Bell-Burnell payload. It didn’t take long for Astrogazers to jump into action and begin planning for the upcoming launches. I was truly impressed by the dedication and commitment of the girls who attended weekly meetings during their summer holidays.

Second mission launch – September 2023

We had planned an early September launch, but an Atlantic weather front delayed us in the first week due to unfavourable winds. As our rescheduled launch date approached, we faced a mix of anticipation and anxiety. The wind conditions had improved, though rain was a potential concern. Finally, we had set a launch date, Tuesday 12 September.

Launching and retrieving Bell-Burnell payload

Despite the weather warning, we remained composed and well-prepared for the mission. The payload team assembled Bell-Burnell with a remarkable 15 minutes to spare. Meanwhile, the weather team diligently monitored wind speeds and tracked payload trajectories. The marketing team had everything in place, setting up the live stream for a flawless start.

After initiating the countdown, we experienced a rollercoaster of emotions – from surprise and shock to happiness and anxiety, all intertwined with the hope that this time the mission would be successful. As the payload soared into the sky, our excitement grew as we eagerly tracked its trajectory. The flight predictor indicated a course towards Oxford, while the GPS tracker provided real-time position updates every 3 minutes, confirming its journey towards South Oxfordshire. These moments of anticipation and discovery made the adventure exciting. Mr Ting and Mr Kazi drove off towards Oxford and contacted the local Post Office to obtain permission to enter the private land where Bell-Burnell payload had landed. Mr Kazi managed to squeeze through a bush to access the field and retrieve the payload, he was soon joined by Mr Ting and Paul Harwood from the Post Office. Paul Harwood said that this was the most exciting thing that had happened in the village in quite some time and being an editor of the local village magazine, he decided to write a short article to feature in it. Paul Harwood will be sending me a copy of the magazine through the post which I will be sharing.

Launching and retrieving Sharman payload

After the successful launch of Bell-Burnell payload, we were confident that we could obtain the same outcome with the Sharman payload. The two GPS trackers we planned to use failed to respond which led us straying away from the original plan. Just then, it started to rain! It felt for a moment, that the odds were against us. However, we dealt with the problem by finding a solution and having a backup GPS tracker that hadn’t been activated proved to be helpful. Since we had plenty of experience in assembling the payload, we were able to activate the GPS, call Mr King to authorise the subscription and attach it to the payload lid. Arya P and Ava P, quickly set up the GPS tracker and Sharman payload was ready!

We followed the same launch mechanism and soon after we had another successful launch. We eagerly tracked Sharman payload and we were slightly anxious as it got closer to its landing time. There were instances when the payload came perilously close to landing near busy roads or the River Thames. After waiting anxiously, we determined that the Sharman payload had landed in Lock Wood Forest which is privately owned. We got into the minibus to start chasing the payload, but we struggled to get in contact with the landowner and continued to drive towards south Oxfordshire. On route, I received a call from Andy who was working in Lock Wood Forest. To our astonishment, he reported that he had stumbled upon the payload. It was a stroke of luck that led him back to an area of the forest where he needed to clip a branch, a decision that otherwise wouldn’t have taken him to that spot, and our payload might have remained undiscovered. Just as Andy was about to fell a tree, which would have landed directly on the payload, he noticed the bright red parachute. Curious, he stepped away from his machinery, only to find the parachute connected to the payload perfectly seated on a tree stump! The payload was mere feet away from the River Thames, and the site had signs warning of danger to life due to tree felling. Andy had spent a month at Lock Wood Forest and was in his final week there, meaning there would be no one on-site thereafter. Additionally, the surrounding area was privately owned, making access seemingly impossible. After careful consideration, we agreed to meet halfway for the payload’s retrieval, settling on the unlikely location of the Tesco car park. It was a series of unexpected events and circumstances that led us to recover the Sharman payload.

We were lucky for many reasons! The payload didn’t land in River Thames, Andy had revisited the site where the trees had fell and spotted the parachute and payload in time before finishing his work, he prevented the payload from getting damaged by a tree and he followed the instructions on the payload to make contact. Andy will be getting a reward soon for finding Sharman payload.

Celebrations

The drive from Oxford to Croydon High School was filled with high spirit. We couldn’t resist the temptation to review the video footage captured by the Bell-Burnell payload. The moment we glimpsed the awe-inspiring view from the edge of space, we erupted in shouts of delight.

Final thoughts

Mission Aspiration is a proof that with determination and dedication, you can accomplish anything. The mission has been incredibly rewarding and the response from the girls, parents and the school community has been deeply moving. Throughout the mission, a question that has frequently arisen is what motivates me to pursue this mission. My response is that I undertake this journey for the girls, and I aspire to offer girls the opportunities I wished I had myself.