Students at the University of Hartford are putting the final touches on preparations for this weekend’s annular eclipse. Most of the country will experience a partial eclipse.
Over 80 schools from across the country, including the University of Hartford and Tunxis Community College, will deploy to different spots along the path of the maximum eclipse.
They’re a part of a nationwide program through NASA and the Connecticut Space Grant Consortium in which they’ll travel to New Mexico to study atmospheric changes surrounding the annular eclipse where the moon won’t completely cover the sun.
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Enrico Obst is a professor of mechanical engineering at the university and he was a part of the program in 2017 and now is supervising the group of students.
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"Our eclipse team is made up of students through all four years here at the university from freshmen all the way up to seniors who will be graduating later this year...They come from computer engineering to mechanical engineering to our nearly aerospace engineering program, as well as computer engineering, CS students, computer science and other facets that we have here for technology as well," Obst said.
On Wednesday, students put the final touches on a few devices that assist in controlling the altitude of the balloon after releasing it. Jessica Camarillo, a senior in mechanical engineering, explains the vent system:
"That's the part of the balloon that's going to allow us to stay at a stable altitude. And then there's also a cut-down system. So the FAA or us can cut down the balloon at any point, whether it becomes a risk or whether or not, we need to cut the balloon to get it to come down to the ground."
Camarillo talks about why she wants to be a part of this project.
"I would love to be able to see a solar eclipse up close, while also being able to practice my engineering knowledge, and put forth that in the different payloads and actually see something happen," she said.
From the ground, they aren’t able to control where the balloon eventually ends up.
"Once the balloon is up, it’s gone with the wind," said Drew Lauzier, a sophomore in aerospace engineering. "Basically, what we're doing here is just ensuring that all the code works, all the commands do what they're supposed to do. And there's no hiccups or any issues with tracking or anything like that."
The team flies out on Thursday morning and will link with a partner school in New Mexico to prepare for launch on Saturday morning.
The entire program spans about a year and a half from early 2023 through the total eclipse in 2024.
If you’re interested, they will be livestreaming before, during and after the eclipse from New Mexico on the UHARTNEBP YouTube page on Saturday.
