Western State College Physics Department
Western State College Physics Department
This ongoing project is intended to measure the concentration of ozone as a function of altitude using photometric instrumentation attached to a high altitude balloon. The design has been adapted .from one developed by Bognar (1996) and Mauersberger (1987). Funding has been provided by NASA’s DemoSat II Space Grant. The students listed above have designed and built the photometer, which measures the intensity of 250 nm radiation from an on-board mercury lamp.This wavelength is strongly absorbed by ozone, so as the ozone concentration in the light path varies with altitude the output voltage from a silicon diode detector varies as well. The wavelength selectivity is achieved using an interference filter in the light path and the detector response is recorded on a data logger which is recovered after the flight. A second detector which is unfiltered provides an output signal which serves as a control. Four balloon flights have been conducted as of April 2006, with varying degrees of success. Persistent problems have been associated with the calibration which would correlate the detector output with the ozone concentration in a quantitative way and with the reduction of temperature effects on the detector output. Students are invited to join in this continuing activity and other related ones, even though they may have no relevant experience. Financial compensation is available, as is academic credit.