Striking Selfie

This photograph was captured at about 85,000 feet during the Aerospace Experimental Association's Mission 2, a high altitude balloon launch conducted in Spring 2024 at Florida Atlantic University. The image was taken by a 360-degree camera mounted on a short arm extending from the payload, creating a striking "selfie" view of the system against the black sky of the stratosphere and the curve of Earth below. This mission tested Generation 2 of FAU's Environmental Control System, a prototype payload developed for the university's first CubeSat, designed to study plant growth in space. The system regulated temperature, humidity, pressure, and lighting to simulate the conditions plants will experience in future space environments. These missions contribute to NASA's Artemis program by helping prepare the technologies that will one day support sustainable agriculture on the Moon and beyond.