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HOME arrow Campus Life arrow Composition of universe explored using balloon
Composition of universe explored using balloon PDF Print E-mail
Written by Ebony Evans, The Shorthorn staff   
Wednesday, 31 October 2007 11:56 PM
Professor Eun-Suk Seo, CREAM project spokesman, lectured about researching particles from a high-tech air balloon Wednesday at Science Hall. The CREAM project provides graduate students with hands-on experience around the world. (The Shorthorn: Rasy Ran)
A University of Maryland professor presented her explorations of the universe with balloon-launched experiments during a Physics colloquium Wednesday.

Eun-Suk Seo, Cosmic Ray Physics director, and her students launched a record-breaking balloon from Antarctica to space in 2005, breaking the flight record for duration and distance.

“A balloon is cheaper and provides easier access to space and a quicker turnaround,” Seo said.

The balloon, weighing 6,000 pounds, measures 40 million cubic feet. It is used to acquire the measurements of energy and explore the supernova and other scientific observations.  

Onboard the balloon was the instrument Cosmic Ray Energetics and Mass, or CREAM.   

“CREAM consisted of several institutions in the U.S. as a large collaboration for balloon experiments,” Seo said.

Seo said they expect lower statistics from the anti-protons, recorded from earlier results on the next flight scheduled later this year.

“The most important outcome is to explore the composition of the universe,” Seo said.

Seo works with NASA on scientific missions to space for the balloon-bourne experiments.

Engineering and science students participated in the launches, while others studying computer science helped with computers inside the CREAM.

“If the universe began with the big bang theory, half of the universe is made out of matter, and half out of anti-matter,” Seo said. “Look around where is the antimatter?”

The CREAM has been launched totaling 70 days of flight in space from both launches.

Seo said when they returned from the first flight they had to camp out in Antarctica’s 40-degree weather, and the equipment couldn’t be left because of its hazardous nature.  

Future flights will extend the CREAM energy to higher energies and her goal is to launch the longest flight possible, Seo said.

Nilakshi Veerabuthina, physics lecturer and colloquium convener, asked if the weather would make it difficult to return to the launch site.

“It doesn’t come back to launch place, but we want it to come back close to the vehicle so we can pick it up,” Seo said. “We have to get information about the weather pattern.”

Physics professor John Fry said the important thing is why they chose Antarctica to launch the balloon.

Seo said Antarctica is a good environment for the instrument CREAM. It requires a lot of energy to have a long flight and it is away from political boundaries.

“Flight duration is limited because it is becoming a political issue,” Seo said.
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