What is the HAARP Project?

In 2005 the Aerospace Enterprise began developing an experimental aircraft to travel to 80,000 ft, pilot itself through an uploaded course, and return to a predetermined point. The primary objective of this project was simply to learn about the systems and design of these vehicles. The vehicle was completed in the early spring of 2007 and launched shortly after. A computer failure, deemed a mission fatal event, occurred a few seconds after launch. This led to total system failure and resulted in the loss of the vehicle.

“Version 1” Launch

Research began on the second vehicle in the fall of 2006. The second version “V2” is also an autonomous glider design and is building upon a wealth of knowledge gained during the development of “version one”. The requirements for V2 have been changed slightly; the maximum altitude was reduced to 25,000 ft to avoid the need for space rated components; a payload bay was added, and the most significant change was the addition of a sustained altitude requirement.

The multi-year development of this vehicle by 25 engineering students is being funded by the Michigan Space Grant Consortium and the Michigan Technological University Aerospace Enterprise to further student knowledge in autonomous air vehicle systems. The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the United States Air Force have all expressed interest in high-altitude autonomous air vehicle technology.

This project is seen as one step in the development of a marketable high-altitude autonomous research platform (HAARP) that will be capable of piloting scientific, commercial, and military payloads through the upper atmosphere.

“V2” In Houghton “V2” RC Test Flight

Who is Interested?

The glider provides an adaptable platform that can be used to carry experiments and other payloads to gather data and operate at high altitudes. Where payloads carried by meteorological balloons are unguided and often difficult if not impossible to retrieve, the glider has the ability to pilot them over a given location and return them to a designated recovery area. This not only saves the operator from the added expense of locating the payload, and possibly replacing it, but allows for geographically sensitive payloads, such as cameras, to be positioned properly.

Some possible payloads under consideration are:

• Atmospheric and meteorological testing

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Association has worked with the HAARP team during development and plans on flying small meteorological payloads with them.

• Civilian surveying and land scouting

Following hurricane Katrina there has been a push for the development of aerial vehicles that can be quickly and inexpensively launched to respond to disasters. An infrared camera can be added to the glider and used to track fires or take photos of disaster areas.

• Military applications

The military has recently made a request for high-altitude vehicle technology likely to be used for surveillance and unmanned flight operations.

Project Organization

The high altitude autonomous research platform (HAARP) team is divided into five sub-teams. The Payload team’s responsibilities are to find, design, and integrate a payload to conduct a science mission. The Airframe team is responsible for designing the airframe and control surfaces as well as integrating the other subsystem components into the vehicle. The D&R, or Deployment and Recovery team, is responsible for designing the system to deliver the vehicle to its release altitude as well as a system to bring it safely back to Earth. Telecommunications and Power is in charge of transmitting commands to, and receiving data from, the glider. They are also responsible for providing power to all of the subsystems. The Control team is responsible for designing the flight computer and data recording components, as well as writing all associated software. The project manager is in charge of the five sub-teams and sets the vehicle goals and development program path under the supervision of the academic advisor.

Prospective Students

This project involves integrating multiple disciplines of engineering and technology with business, marketing, and communications to successfully develop and market innovative vehicles and payloads. Our team is always looking for determined, hard working individuals with backgrounds or interests in many fields including (but not limited to):

Mechanical Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Materials Engineering

Computer Engineering

Software Engineering

Computer Science

Physics

Chemistry

Marketing

Finance

Management

Scientific and Technical Communications

We are looking for students from any level. First and second years, this is a great way to get involved on campus, meet new people, and start your resume. Upperclassmen, it is never too late to start something new. Even if you have an impressive resume, a guaranteed job, and lots of friends; let’s face it, this is just fun!