Release and ascent
18-second excerpt · The camera leaves the launch area and rises above the landscape.
2025 · Spring and Fall flight research
A lighter payload. A documented flight.
Two semesters, two flight records. Explore the team's original radiation and atmosphere figures alongside its Spring and Fall photographs, roles and payload improvements.
2025 · available records
Explore this year’s flight record
- Flight
- December 6 · Balloon 2
- Data
- Reviewed Fall flight report
- Media
- Payload image archive
Read the December 6 flight’s reported performance, examine the payload hardware and meet the Spring and Fall teams.
2025 · Original presentation figures
The evidence from both semesters
Spring 2025 · Radiation profile
The source marks the Pfotzer–Regener radiation maximum near 63,000 ft, below the flight's reported 87,885-ft maximum. Counts per minute and altitude describe different quantities.
The graph legend prints March 28, while the team's flight poster prints March 29. Both labels remain attributed to their sources; this does not establish attendance on either date.
Explore the Spring 2025 research figures →
Fall 2025 · Flight and atmosphere
The supplied report follows altitude, vertical motion, acceleration, temperature, pressure, particles, CO₂ and UV observations. This figure retains the source's numeric time–altitude pairing without adding a smoothed illustrative curve.
The report narrative gives 77.6 minutes to burst and 96.2 mph maximum descent; its plotted series gives 79.05 minutes and −92.57 mph vertical velocity. These are separate source values, not a reconciled estimate. The negative sign denotes downward motion.
Explore the Fall 2025 research figures →
Report narrative summary
Fall 2025 · Balloon 2
Launch dateDec 62025
Maximum altitude101,260 ft30,864 m
Reported time to burst77.6 minwritten report; plotted series: 79.05 min
Minimum temperature−59.9 °Cwritten report minimum
Flight and atmosphere
| Reported average ascent | 13.8 mph |
|---|---|
| Reported peak descent | 96.2 mphWritten report; plotted minimum: −92.57 mph |
| Reported terminal descent | 16 mph |
| Reported peak acceleration | 6.45 G near burst |
| Reported lowest pressure | 49.2 Torr |
| Reported CO₂ peakLower-ascent window | 640 ppm at 21,118 ftWritten report; plotted peak: 640 ppm near 21,874 ft |
| Reported ground CO₂ average | Approximately 425 ppm |
| Particle feature | Reported particle-channel response change near 26,800 ft |
The published CO₂ and particle profiles cover approximately 885–41,407 ft of lower ascent, not the full 101,260-ft flight. A peak here means the highest value within that published measurement window. The report proposes further investigation of the particle feature; its cause is not established.
Flight-proven engineering
- Carbon-composite body was about 20% lighter and returned with minimal damage.
- One central battery pack powered the Arduino, sensors, and two RunCam Thumb 2 cameras.
- Four UV ABC sensors, particulate, CO2, temperature, humidity, and radiation instruments were integrated.
- The Geiger counter did not write its data file; the report records the failure rather than hiding it.
- Sensor recovery procedures, Git migration, and code documentation were improved.
Spring 2025 roster
Build team
Mentors: Dr. Eddie Ong;
Ernest Villicaña
Team lead:
Rafael Sanchez
Atmospheric profiling:
Dr. Eddie Ong, Marquis Muza, Nathaniel Okafor, Adam Fuge
Video stabilization:
Marquis Muza, Nathaniel Okafor
Mechanical:
Rafael Sanchez, Elvis Garcia
Software & electrical:
Adam Fuge, Nathaniel Okafor, Marquis Muza, Ethan Pierson
Advisors:
Andrew Sherant, Tino Meza, Tracy Concialdi, Garret Nordmeyer
Fall 2025 roster
Flight team
Mentors: Dr. Eddie Ong;
Ernest Villicaña
Team lead:
Nathaniel “Nate” Okafor
Atmospheric profiling & video:
Preston Furulie, Nathaniel Okafor, Adam Fuge
Software & coding:
Emma Landis, Ethan Pierson
Mechanical:
Garret Nordmeyer, Loukos Stevenson
Electrical:
Adam Fuge, Jose Ocampo
Advisor:
Tino Meza
Source ledger
- Phoenix College ASCEND Spring 2025 presentation
- Phoenix College ASCEND Fall 2025 presentation
- NASA Annual Performance Data report for Phoenix College, Fall 2025
- FallLaunch25 Arduino workbook retained as a private raw source; public values above follow the reviewed report
Explore the hardware
See the composite structure, camera mount, integrated sensor stack, UV array, and radiation instrument.
Open the image archive2025 · Semester photographs
Meet the Spring and Fall teams
The Spring launch-site group and Fall classroom group keep their own semester labels and source captions. Names in the photographs are distinct from the presentation roles documented above.
Faculty mentors: Dr. Eddie Ong · science and Ernest Villicaña (Mr V) · engineering.
Spring 2025 · Team photograph
From left to right: Ed Ong, Ethan Pierson, Elvis Garcia, Rafael Sanchez, Adam Fuge, Marquiz Muza, Nate Okafor.
Fall 2025 · Team photograph
From left to right: Nate Okafor, Emma Landis, Ethan Pierson, Preston Furulie, Loukos Stevenson, Jose Ocampo, Adam Fuge, Garrett Nordmeyer.
Fall 2025 · Edited flight footage
Release, burst and the return toward ground
Three short excerpts from the team’s edited Fall 2025 summary film. These are recorded camera views, not a continuous flight recording or a GPS-synchronized replay.
Balloon burst
8-second excerpt · The summary film’s balloon-burst sequence shows the transition into descent.
Return toward ground
7-second excerpt · The camera descends into vegetation. This view alone does not establish a verified touchdown time.