Protein Denaturing 2009

This is a pre-launch picture of an experiment designed to look at the denaturing of proteins in near space conditions. There are a series of 4 petri dishes stacked vertically with about 4 mm spacing between them. The holes on the sides are to allow for warm air to circulate around the dishes. There was an on board heater to maintain internal temperature.
Heater Unit ver. 1

This is the first design for an on-board heater unit. In the past we have used hand warmers but there was a question of if they worked in a low oxygen environment. As a result of this discussion students decided to construct an electric heater. Interior temperature was maintained about freezing on this flight which we considered a success.