College professors, middle school students and robotics hobbyists will unite shortly after sunrise tomorrow, July 29, 2008, to launch several MINDSTORMS robots into the Earth’s stratosphere to collect data, explore conditional effects of the Earth’s atmosphere, and to set a world record as part of the High Altitude LEGO® Extravaganza.

Joining The LEGO Group to support the science experiment are Nevada Space Grant, the University of Nevada-Reno, Energizer and National Instruments to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the LEGO MINDSTORMS® robotics platform.

The MINDSTORMS robots will be launched from a desert location 30 miles outside of Reno, Nevada, USA into near space on an atmospheric weather balloon that will reach an altitude of more than 100,000 feet (30km). At that altitude the robots will be above 99.9% of the atmosphere. The payloads will be exposed to extreme cold and radiation of near space. The sky looks black and the curvature of the Earth is evident.

Once the weather balloon reaches maximum altitude, it will burst and the robots will parachute back down to the Earth individually or as a group depending on the robot’s desired experiment. Two weather balloons will be deployed to carry the payloads of the robots.

Brian Davis, a part-time professor at Indiana University, contributed two of his custom NXT robots to the experiment. The first, Gypsy (called Nadar 1.0 on NXTLOG), has been programmed to automate a digital camera to take both still and video images while in the balloon. His second robot, Lil’ Joe, will attempt a world record for the longest MINDSTORMS NXT free-fall; the robot will detach from the balloon at maximum altitude and fall until a pre-programmed parachute is deployed.

“I love building LEGO mechanisms because the inherent limitations and versatility of the medium offer unique design challenges,” said Davis. “Additionally, since LEGO bricks are infinitely reusable, I can build and test prototypes much faster than I could in other mediums. I’m excited to take my experiments to a new level; I’ve never tried to build a robot that could function under these conditions and function right the very first time. 100,000 feet above ground is no place for a mistake.”

Children are also getting involved in H.A.L.E. FIRST LEGO League Team 90 from Virginia is getting a head start on this year’s annual challenge, “Climate Connections”, by sending up a robot they created that has been programmed to measure and log Ultraviolet radiation as a function of altitude while on board the weather balloon.

“I am confident that the team will learn something about Earth science and Global Warming through this program,” said David Levy, coach of the team. “We are treating our participation as a FIRST LEGO League research project for the upcoming season’s challenge, so I expect that the team will learn how to seek out the advice of experts in the field, come up with their own solutions through experimentation, document their work and have lots of fun in the process.”

Other robots will seek to collect data in relation to ozone concentration, the impact of varying temperatures and air pressure on objects, particles in the air, impact of flight conditions and varying g-forces as a function of altitude.

Energizer provided H.A.L.E. participants with long-lasting Energizer® Lithium AA batteries, which are 33 percent lighter than ordinary alkaline batteries and perform in extreme temperatures from -40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 to 60 degrees C), which are ideal for the conditions the robots are anticipated to experience on the balloon.

You can learn more about the individual H.A.L.E. missions as well as learn how you can track the event live tomorrow by visiting: http://www.unr.edu/nevadasat/HALE/College professors, middle school students and robotics hobbyists will unite shortly after sunrise tomorrow, July 29, 2008, to launch several MINDSTORMS robots into the Earth’s stratosphere to collect data, explore conditional effects of the Earth’s atmosphere, and to set a world record as part of the High Altitude LEGO® Extravaganza.

Joining The LEGO Group to support the science experiment are Nevada Space Grant, the University of Nevada-Reno, Energizer and National Instruments to help celebrate the 10th anniversary of the LEGO MINDSTORMS® robotics platform.

The MINDSTORMS robots will be launched from a desert location 30 miles outside of Reno, Nevada, USA into near space on an atmospheric weather balloon that will reach an altitude of more than 100,000 feet (30km). At that altitude the robots will be above 99.9% of the atmosphere. The payloads will be exposed to extreme cold and radiation of near space. The sky looks black and the curvature of the Earth is evident.

Once the weather balloon reaches maximum altitude, it will burst and the robots will parachute back down to the Earth individually or as a group depending on the robot’s desired experiment. Two weather balloons will be deployed to carry the payloads of the robots.

Brian Davis, a part-time professor at Indiana University, contributed two of his custom NXT robots to the experiment. The first, Gypsy (called Nadar 1.0 on NXTLOG), has been programmed to automate a digital camera to take both still and video images while in the balloon. His second robot, Lil’ Joe, will attempt a world record for the longest MINDSTORMS NXT free-fall; the robot will detach from the balloon at maximum altitude and fall until a pre-programmed parachute is deployed.

“I love building LEGO mechanisms because the inherent limitations and versatility of the medium offer unique design challenges,” said Davis. “Additionally, since LEGO bricks are infinitely reusable, I can build and test prototypes much faster than I could in other mediums. I’m excited to take my experiments to a new level; I’ve never tried to build a robot that could function under these conditions and function right the very first time. 100,000 feet above ground is no place for a mistake.”

Children are also getting involved in H.A.L.E. FIRST LEGO League Team 90 from Virginia is getting a head start on this year’s annual challenge, “Climate Connections”, by sending up a robot they created that has been programmed to measure and log Ultraviolet radiation as a function of altitude while on board the weather balloon.

“I am confident that the team will learn something about Earth science and Global Warming through this program,” said David Levy, coach of the team. “We are treating our participation as a FIRST LEGO League research project for the upcoming season’s challenge, so I expect that the team will learn how to seek out the advice of experts in the field, come up with their own solutions through experimentation, document their work and have lots of fun in the process.”

Other robots will seek to collect data in relation to ozone concentration, the impact of varying temperatures and air pressure on objects, particles in the air, impact of flight conditions and varying g-forces as a function of altitude.

Energizer provided H.A.L.E. participants with long-lasting Energizer® Lithium AA batteries, which are 33 percent lighter than ordinary alkaline batteries and perform in extreme temperatures from -40 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit (-40 to 60 degrees C), which are ideal for the conditions the robots are anticipated to experience on the balloon.

You can learn more about the individual H.A.L.E. missions as well as learn how you can track the event live tomorrow by visiting: http://www.unr.edu/nevadasat/HALE/