A Low-Profile, Self-Contained System for Atmospheric Monitoring and Mid-flight Collection of Viable Microbiological Samples at High Altitude

TL;DR

This paper presents a low-cost, self-contained high-altitude balloon system called PHANTOM for collecting and analyzing airborne microorganisms, enabling accessible atmospheric biological research.

Contribution

It introduces a novel, cost-effective payload design suitable for student projects to study atmospheric microbiology at high altitudes.

Findings

Successful flight trials demonstrating system reliability

Feasibility of interdisciplinary atmospheric microbiology research

Potential for widespread use in educational settings

Abstract

The prevalence of bacteria in the atmosphere has been well established in relevant literature, suggesting that airborne bacteria can influence atmospheric characteristics including the development of clouds. Studies have also demonstrated that the atmospheric biological profile is influenced by the underlying terrestrial biomes. An understanding of the complex interplay of factors that can influence the atmospheric biological profile, not to mention developing a biological census of the atmosphere, requires a cost-effective experimental system capable of generating reproducible results with reliable data. However, as has been demonstrated by payloads launched by space agencies such as NASA and JAXA, these payloads are both complex and cost prohibitive. This paper discusses the design and implementation of a biologically oriented experimental payload for high-altitude ballooning that is within the means of most student-run experimental programs. The payload highlighted in this presentation, PHANTOM (Probe for High Altitude Numeration and Tracking of Microorganisms, which has the goal of capturing aerial microorganisms at multiple altitudes in order to characterize the biological composition of the upper atmosphere), has undergone a number of successful flight trials, and serves to highlight the feasibility and utility of interdisciplinary projects between aerospace and the biological sciences.