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APPLICATION DEADLINE:  Thursday February 13, 2025

Brief Description

We are seeking two students to help us with the first launch of the Balloon-borne Very Large Baseline Interferometry Experiment (BVEX).

Our lab has funding from the Canadian Space Agency to design, build and fly the Balloon-borne VLBI Experiment (BVEX), which will use a high frequency (22 GHz) 1-meter stratospheric radio telescope to observe galaxies simultaneously with much larger telescopes on the ground in order to demonstrate the feasibility of balloon-borne Very Large Baseline Interferometry. To produce interference fringes we need (1) the ability to track and correct for any phase offsets caused by the changing position of the telescope (to <1mm precision), and (2) a well-characterized radio telescope that can operate in the stratosphere.

The BVEX telescope is now mostly built and we are preparing for a first launch of the experiment from the Canadian Space Agency's Stratospheric Balloon Base in Timmins, Ontario in August 2025. We are seeking two students who will work under the supervision of Prof. Laura Fissel and with graduate students Felix Thiel, Mayukh Bagchi, and Maggie Oxford for 35 hours per week for 16 weeks this summer. The main focus of our activity this summer is to test the experiment extensively and get the BVEX ready for its first-ever stratospheric balloon flight in August 2025!

Both students will help us with the final integration and testing of the BVEX experiment. They will also have the opportunity to participate in the August 2025 payload launch campaign at the Canadian Space Agency's Balloon Launch Facility in Timmins, Ontario. Each student will also have an individual project related to BVEX that they will work on over the summer.

The two anticipated projects for the summer of 2025 are:

Project #1: Testing Position Tracking and Attitude Reconstruction of the BVEX system

This student will work with Queen's graduate students Mayukh Bagchi and Felix Thiel to build, test, and prepare the BVEX position tracking and attitude reconstruction systems. Our goal is to demonstrate that the BVEX telescope can be tracked to <1mm precision over 1 second intervals, which is the requirement that we will need to achieve for a successful demonstration of Very Long Baseline Interferometry.

The anticipated responsibilities of this SWEP student are:

• Integrate and test a system of multiple position tracking sensors (GPS, accelerometer), and attitude reconstruction sensors which will be mounted on the BVEX payload.
• Test and improve flight control software that will read out the sensors, log the position sensor information, and transmit the position data to a ground station.
• To simulate "flight tests" of the position tracking system including outdoor tests of the sensors, and tests of the sensors while suspended from a crane. The goal is to measure their ability to reconstruct position under various conditions.
• To help conduct thermal vacuum tests of our position tracking sensors under simulated stratospheric conditions.
• Integrate and read out an onboard camera which will record video of the Earth's horizon, in order to measure the roll of the balloon gondola.

Required Background

Students should have completed at least two years of a physical science, computer science or engineering program with a preference for Physics, Astronomy, or Engineering. Knowledge of physics, experience working with devices such as raspberry pis, accelerometers, gyroscopes or magnetometers, experience working and learning in a team setting, programming experience (in C and python), and being willing to learn new skills are all assets for this position.

Project #2: Testing the 22 GHz Radio Telescope

This student would work with Queen's graduate students Felix Thiel, Mayukh Bagchi, and Maggie Oxford to test the BVEX radio telescope and receiver prior to the August flight. This will involve tests of individual telescope components under simulated stratospheric conditions in the thermal vacuum chamber at ³ÉÈË´óƬ as well as full-system on-sky tests of the BVEX telescope. In particular, we anticipate that the student will help us design and test our in-flight observation strategy for detecting water maser spectral lines in high-mass star-forming regions.

The specific responsibilities of this SWEP student are:

• To help conduct thermal vacuum tests of the radio telescope components under simulated stratospheric conditions.
• To help test the telescope by observing astronomical sources and analyzing the results.
• To test and help refine the control software that we are writing to operate the telescope during the 2025 balloon flight.
• To help the BVEX team make measurements of water maser spectral lines with the BVEX telescope, and help us to design a strategy to use water maser observations during the balloon flight to calibrate the telescope and its ability to point.

Required Background

Students should have completed at least two years of a physical science, computer science or engineering program with a preference for Physics, Astronomy, or Engineering Physics. Knowledge of physics, Fourier analysis, computer programming, experience working and learning in a team setting, experience working with laboratory electronics, and being willing to learn new skills are all assets for this position.

How to Apply

Apply through to this SWEP Position (Job# 150219) by February 13, 2025.