Project Descriptions
2013 - 2014 Project:
During our 2013 - 2014 project year, our team sought to test the use of wind as a possible method of pollination in microgravity. This would be done by placing a box containing pollen (a Pollen Containment System [PCS]), a fan to attempt to blow said pollen, and a servomotor-controlled lid for the PCS on one end of the experiment, to catch the pollen, a piece of clear plastic with double-sided tape on it in the middle of our project (a "Flower Wanna Be", if you will), and a camera on the other end of the experiment to document the whole process. An illustration of this setup can be seen in the diagram below. Also included are pictures of the actual experiment when it was opened upon its return.
During our 2013 - 2014 project year, our team sought to test the use of wind as a possible method of pollination in microgravity. This would be done by placing a box containing pollen (a Pollen Containment System [PCS]), a fan to attempt to blow said pollen, and a servomotor-controlled lid for the PCS on one end of the experiment, to catch the pollen, a piece of clear plastic with double-sided tape on it in the middle of our project (a "Flower Wanna Be", if you will), and a camera on the other end of the experiment to document the whole process. An illustration of this setup can be seen in the diagram below. Also included are pictures of the actual experiment when it was opened upon its return.
2014 - 2015 Project:
When we received the results of our 2013 - 2014 project, the data and pictures indicated a few abnormalities with our experiment. Upon further investigation, we found out our project had experienced a mechanical error with the servomotor lid not successfully holding in the pollen under launch forces, a software error with the code controlling our experiment resetting every 10 days, and a lighting error in which our photos had slight amounts of glare. During the 2014 - 2015 year, we decided to improve upon our previous design and send the project up again. This included a mechanical overhaul (final result pictured below), as well as fixes in the software of our project.
2015 - 2016 Project:
Unfortunately, fate is sometimes a cruel mistress. The rocket carrying our 2014 - 2015 project blew up on its way to the ISS, through no fault of our own. However, we did not let this setback discourage us, and we remade the project once again, now utilizing 3D printing to supplement and perfect our design (picture coming soon!). This was done in record time in order to launch the experiment in October. We eagerly await our results.