Results from the low mass cosmic ray experiment on the HASP balloon

The Louisiana High Altitude Student Payload (HASP) program is designed to carry twelve student payloads to an altitude of about 36 km with flight durations of more than sixteen hours. Payloads are designed and built by college and university students and are used to test compact satellites and to fly other related space science experiments. The major goals of HASP are to foster student excitement in an aerospace career path and to help address workforce development issues in Louisiana. HASP plans to provide a "space test platform" to encourage student research and stimulate the development of student satellite payloads and other space-engineering products. In 2006, physics students from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette built a low mass cosmic ray detector using aluminum absorbers and standard x-ray film (with image intensifiers). This 10 kg payload flew from the Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Fort Sumner, New Mexico in early September 2006 and was a great success. The students are currently analyzing data from a second 10 kg nuclear stack detector that was flown in September 2007. The purpose of this paper is to present results from the 2006 and 2007 flights of our low mass cosmic ray detector. Emphasis will be placed on the "hands-on" and step-by-step approach used to provide students with practical space-related skills developed as part of the HASP program.