Students' pink robot could save space industry millions

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION – Each rocket launch unnecessarily scrubbed can cost upward of $1 million.

So NASA needs as much real-time weather data as possible.

But lightning makes launching weather balloons a bit dicey.

For decades, specialists at the Air Force station's weather balloon facility would brave blustery or otherwise bad conditions to release large white weather balloons by hand. But when lightning was too close, no balloons got launched.

Now, a hot-pink robot built by local high school students is rolling to the rescue.

"Even if you save one launch, it's worth it," Nick McAleenan, 16, told media members crowded outside the Air Force station's weather balloon facility to see the robot in action.

"PINK Team," a robotics team of students from Rockledge, Cocoa Beach, Viera and Space Coast high schools, fashioned a clever way to release weather balloons without risking human life.

After visiting the base's balloon facility and interviewing those who release the balloons and process the data they capture, the students and their mentors designed and built Weatherbot.

The 90-pound robot sports six all-terrain wheels, over a mile of travel range, headlights for nighttime launches and two 330-watt motors.

At Tuesday's demonstration, several students on the robotics team — donning black uniforms with bright pink socks — showed off their creation.

Weatherbot squealed a high-pitched hum as Stephanie Dawson, 17, of Rockledge High, steered the pink robot to the center of a grassy field, parked it, then released a bobbling white weather balloon into a cloudless sky.

Central Florida is considered the lightning capital of North America. Almost all of the lightning happens from mid-June to mid-September.

This past June through September, there were 10 launches and 16 launch countdowns. Two launches had to be scrubbed because of lightning that prevented weather balloon releases.

"When we launch rockets, we have to understand upper atmospheric winds," said Brig. Gen. Nina M. Armagno. "Over the last few years, we've actually had lightning conditions that have impeded countdowns and have actually contributed to launch scrubs. Well, no more will that be the case, because we have an automated weather balloon system now."

The idea of using a robot to release the balloons arose from correspondence between 45th Space Wing Weather Squadron: Kyle Clements, flight mission lead, and Mike McAleenan, a launch weather officer.

McAleenan thought of the complex tasks his son Nick's robotics team could perform with their robots.

"These guys can do that in their sleep," Mike McAleenan said.

The students built the robot for about $2,000, with donations, and some spare parts from a previous robot.

"It's about 400 cars washed," said Andy Bradley, the NASA senior control systems engineer who helped the students build the robot.

The girls on the team won out on the choice of team name and color. Bradley says the boys had skipped out on that team meeting.

"The guys were out surfing that day," Bradley said. "Out of spite, the girls picked pink."

Contact Waymer at 321-242-3663 or jwaymer@floridatoday.com Follow him on Twitter @JWayEnviro