FARMINGTON — The athletic field at Mt. Blue High School was a beehive of activity Saturday morning, May 27, while students and mentors prepared for the University of Southern Maine’s third annual CubeSat Design Competition.

University Maine Orono student Martin Guarnieri weighs a container during University of Southern Maine’s third annual CubeSat Design Competition Saturday morning, May 27, at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. Middle school students hold the balloon while it is being filled with gas. The weight of the container is used to determine if there is enough gas in the balloon to lift the cubesats. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

Six middle school teams attached their microsatellites to a balloon launched a little after 8:30 a.m. A second balloon was to be launched about an hour later carrying satellites from six high school teams.

According to a USM release, “The balloon will take the student-designed microsatellites to an altitude of approximately 120,000 ft., where they will experience the space environment for a short time. The launch will test the mission planning, engineering design and performance of the student-built cubesats.

“Cubesats are a class of small cube-shaped research satellites – typically weighing less than 3 [pounds] – that have created a new era of space discovery and hands-on STEM education opportunities for K-12 and college students.”

At right front, Rick Eason with University of Maine Orono’s high altitude balloon program talks about tracking the balloon during University of Southern Maine’s third annual CubeSat Design Competition Saturday morning, May 27, at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. Also seen is Poland Middle School student Dylan Cobb holding the balloon and UMO students Benjamin Mock at left and Martin Guarnieri at Cobb’s right. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

This is a collaboration of all K-12 schools working to get their cubesats ready, Scott Eaton, USM assistant professor of mechanical engineering and program organizer said. “This is the final test of their hard work over the last couple of months,” he noted.

The balloon launches were originally to be held on USM’s Lewiston-Auburn campus, but due to weather issues was moved to Mt. Blue, Eaton stated. “This is a beautiful spot,” he added.

Schools have been working on the design competition since January, Eaton said. Mission proposals were submitted and the most successful were then invited to build a cubesat, he noted. All tools needed to build the device were provided those teams, he stated.

A gas-filled balloon prepares to lift off during University of Southern Maine’s third annual CubeSat Design Competition Saturday morning, May 27, at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

“We had 24 teams register from both middle and high schools,” Eaton noted. “Through a competitive process is was narrowed down to up to 14 teams from 12 schools.

A balloon with several cubesats attached to it rises during University of Southern Maine’s third annual CubeSat Design Competition Saturday morning, May 27, at Mt. Blue High School in Farmington. Middle school and later high school students tested the design and performance of their microsatellites through a balloon launch. Pam Harnden/Livermore Falls Advertiser

“Whoever performs the best is awarded the Maine Cube Cup.”

Middle schools competing in the final phase of the competition were Sipayik Elementary [Pleasant Point], Maranacook Middle School [Readfield], Frank H. Harrison Middle School [Yarmouth], Bruce M. Whittier Middle School [Poland], St. George School [Tenants Harbor] and Gorham Middle School.

High schools competing included Deering High School [Portland], Portland High School, Westbrook High School, Penobscot Valley High School [Howland], Hall-Dale High School [Farmingdale] and Foster Career and Technical Education Center [Mt. Blue-Farmington].

In the release Eaton noted, “For many students, this is their first exposure to engineering and the engineering design process. Faculty at the University of Southern Maine work very closely with the teachers and students to give them the skills they need to succeed in STEM in school and beyond.”

“As Maine carves out a place for itself in the space industry, USM has been at the forefront of developing cubesat technology and cultivating STEM opportunities for local students” the release continued. “In the fall of 2020, USM partnered with the Maine Space Consortium to hold the first of a series of NASA-funded cubesat workshops for Maine high schools. USM is also one of several institutions working collaboratively toward Maine’s ultimate goal of establishing a spaceport from which to launch satellites into orbit.”

The competition is funded by NASA and managed by the Maine Space Grant Consortium. The university is also partnering with MaxIQ Space.

Assisting with the launches were Rick Eason with University of Maine Orono’s high altitude balloon program and some UMO students.

UMO student Martin Guarnieri was seen adding water to a container and testing the weight after each addition. A formula is used to compare the weight of the container with that of the payload [the cubesats and tracker attached to the balloon], he said. If the balloon can lift the container it means there is enough gas in the balloon to lift the payload, he added.

Eason said the balloon had three tracking beams on it to monitor its altitude and distance travelled.

“I have done 139 launches, I haven’t lost one yet,” he noted. “There is always a first.”

“The balloon launch went amazingly well,” Eaton wrote in an email Tuesday. “We launched two balloons, one for the middle school and one for the high school. Both balloons reached over 106,000 feet where we could see the darkness of space and we experienced the vacuum of space. We recovered the balloons in Dresden.

“The student projects went very well. There were some outstanding cubesats that were built and the USM judges confirmed our award winners.”

Middle school winners:
St. George School,  Overall winner
Maranacook Middle School, Runner-up
Gorham Middle School, Best-in-show

High school winners:
Westbrook High School, Overall winner
Hale-Dale High School, Runner-Up
Deering High School, Best-in-show

“The middle schoolers and high schoolers had such a great time,” Eaton added.