- Document ID: BX26_TUBULAR_SEDv5-2_26Apr21
- Mission: BEXUS 26
- Team Name: TUBULAR
- Experiment Title: Alternative to AirCore for Atmospheric Greenhouse Gas Sampling
- Version: 5.2
Carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and carbon monoxide (CO) are three main greenhouse gases emitted by human activities. Developing a better understanding of their contribution to greenhouse effects requires more accessible, flexible, and scalable air sampling mechanisms. A balloon flight is the most cost-effective mechanism to obtain a vertical air profile through continuous sampling between the upper troposphere and the lower stratosphere. However, recovery time constraints due to gas mixture concerns geographically restrict the sampling near existing research centers where analysis of the recovered samples can take place. The TUBULAR experiment is a technology demonstrator for atmospheric research supporting an air sampling mechanism that would offer climate change researchers access to remote areas by minimizing the effect of gas mixtures within the collected samples so that recovery time is no longer a constraint. The experiment includes a secondary sampling mechanism that serves as reference against which the proposed sampling mechanism can be validated.
Project TUBULAR was implemented under the REXUS/BEXUS programme which is realised under a bilateral Agency Agreement between the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and the Swedish National Space Board (SNSB). The Swedish share of the payload was made available to students from other European countries through a collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA). EuroLaunch, a cooperation between the Esrange Space Center of SSC and the Mobile Rocket Base (MORABA) of DLR, was responsible for the campaign management and operations of the launch vehicles. Experts from DLR, SSC, ZARM and ESA provided technical support to the student teams throughout the project. REXUS and BEXUS are launched from SSC, Esrange Space Center in northern Sweden.