PROJECT OVERSEER

high altitude balloons at ucla

I’ve just recently started working as a Mechanical Engineer at Project Overseer, which is UCLA’s High Altitude Balloon project. Overseer’s mission is to facilitate research at high altitudes using balloons, which are extremely quick to implement. One of Overseer’s long-term mission plans is to create a modular assembly that can be fitted with any sort of payload and deployed rapidly.

We are currently launching at the rate of one balloon every 10 weeks, and working on speeding that up. My role involves designing the mechanical components for the modular assembly, working on harnessing of electrical components, and testing the failsafe mechanisms. Our current payload involves a Raspberry Pi flight computer, a Tracksoar board, a Pi in the Sky (PITS) board, a tBeacon, and a camera. The mechanical frame is printed on a Dimension Elite out of ABS.

Our balloons are currently 1,500 grams, with plans to expand for heavier payloads. Here are some work in progress CAD renders: