It’s not every day you see a weather balloon hauling a plate of spaghetti into space. But in the early hours of 17 February 2022, just over Muswellbrook NSW, that’s exactly what happened.
Image supplied by PAAS UTS
The team responsible was the Professional Aeronautics and Astronautics Society (PAAS UTS). They successfully launched the plate of spaghetti just over two years after they launched Vegemite toast into space.
The spaghetti soared more than 23 kilometres above sea level. That’s about two-and-a-half times higher than Mount Everest!
“I expected it to be a success, but it was better than a success,” exclaims Fatima Haq, Vice-President of PAAS UTS.
The reason? A mere two hours after launch, the team was able to recover the spaghetti, 200 meters from the nearest road.
After walking through some bushes, the cameras and spaghetti were found completely intact on the ground. The balloon, though, was hanging from a tree above.
“We did have a few close calls,” adds Cameron Ward, Chief Technical Officer of PAAS UTS and co-lead of the balloon launch.
“The payload landed within a kilometre of a mine. If the wind had gone a little bit in another direction, it could have landed on a giant stack of coal which would have been pretty inaccessible for us.”
The planning
Preparation for the launch began in July 2021 during NSW's COVID-19 lockdown. For the PAAS UTS members, it was an opportunity to stay connected online while preparing for the proposed launch in September. However, as government restrictions extended, so did their timeline. Ultimately, the launch was pushed back to February 2022.
Image supplied by PAAS UTS
For three months leading up to the launch, the team met every Sunday at the UTS Innovation Hub to plan, build the prototype and perform parachute runs for the launch.
“We were very scared to do the first parachute run with the cameras and GPS attached as we didn’t want to break them!” recalls Fatima.
“We wanted students, especially first and second years, to get practical experience and an understanding of what organising a small space project looks like.
“That’s why we kicked off with this event to reactivate the on-campus life for PAAS UTS after the lockdowns.”
The launch
At 8am on Thursday 17 February, the 10-member team prepared the spaghetti dish for launch, under the watchful gaze of their main sponsor, Nova 96.9 radio’s Fitzy and Wippa.
Image supplied by PAAS UTS
“We were actually ahead of schedule with our inflation and process and everything, but we had to wait for Nova,” recalls Cameron.
“They were trying to run a radio show from the middle of a winery in Muswellbrook, and they had a lot of problems they had to figure out, so we did have to wait on them a few times.
“But, I think having a few minutes to wait before we released the balloon was good. Everyone was so nervous because it had been a couple of months in the making.”
To make the spaghetti dish, they used Big John’s tomato sauce, which is Wippa’s dad’s family recipe. They also mixed the spaghetti with adhesive to prevent the pasta from falling off. The one downside: the team couldn’t taste-test this launch unlike their previous attempt with Vegemite toast!
Image supplied by PAAS UTS
For Fatima, the achievement of the launch project comes second to her experience as a society executive.
“You form connections with like-minded people and even make industry connections that can link you up to internships,” says Fatima.
“From societies you get that project experience and then you can tell your future employer, ‘Hey, I sent spaghetti to space.’”
Check out the launch and recovery video recap!
The sponsors for this launch were Nova Entertainment, The Royal Aeronautical Society (Australian Division), Engineers Australia, UTS Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology, Young Engineers Australia and ActivateUTS. Special thanks to Pukara Estate for kindly allowing the event to be hosted on their site.