Project ALMA

Day 3 of the BEXUS campaign: The long awaited interference test was successful. The test did however show a potential issue which we will focus on resolving tomorrow. We will also receive the first meteological report tomorrow, which will give us more insight into when we will be able to launch. We'll make sure to keep you updated as the campaign rolls along. 🦵🔨

The time has come. The ALMA project has been mounted to the BEXUS 33 gondola. The launch window opens on Wednesday, and before then we have a few more tests to perform. But so far, everything is nominal 🎈

And so it begins 💨. Today, the ozonesonde team has prepared and calibrated the ozonesondebox at ESRANGE. This is in preparation for the testing which will be performed over the coming days before we launch with BEXUS 33 next week. 🎈🌋

Our hoodies have arrived just in time for the campaign 😄🎈

After A LOT of ordering and shipping issues, we finally got our last parts last Friday! So this week has been full of testing to make sure that everything is working correctly, both mechanical and electrical. We have also worked on accommodating everything, so everything fits into the box. We also had the opportunity to introduce ALMA to the new students during the kickoff week. 🎈

After A LOT of ordering and shipping issues, we finally got the last of our parts last Friday! So this week has been filled with tests to make sure everything is working, both mechanical and electrical. We have also worked on accommodating everything, and making sure everything fits in the box during the final integration! 🎈

Today we will introduce the second person that joined ALMA’s software department back in February, Casper:

📌 Hello! My name is Casper, and I am a 23-year-old from a small city called Åmål, the only city in the province of Dalsland, commonly called "a Sweden in miniature".

🎓 I've always been interested in technology, starting with coding at a young age, which eventually led me to a high school for game development and technology in Karlstad. During my time there, I had the opportunity to write two longer essays about space. From there, it's not hard to see how I somehow ended up in Luleå and later Kiruna studying space and atmospheric physics.

🎈 Not surprisingly, I jumped at the opportunity to work in ALMA on the software team, combining both my interest in programming and science. In ALMA, I work on anything related to the onboard data handling along with our ground station.

🏖 When I'm not creating bugs in the software for my future self to solve, I enjoy the quiet lifestyle in Kiruna. In my spare time, I enjoy learning new things, gaming, or solving bugs previously created!

Now it’s time to introduce ALMA’s new members that joined the software department back in February, starting with Johan:

📌 Hello! My name is Johan and I work on the ALMA software team. I am 23 years old and hail from Västerås in mid-Sweden.

🎓 I have always been passionate about space and so found it natural to study at the space engineering program at LTU, starting in 2020. Subsequently I moved to Kiruna at the start of 2023, and joined the ALMA project shortly after.

🎈 At ALMA, I mainly write code for the onboard computer for interfacing with the various sensors and systems, such as the photodetector, thermometers and air-pump. This 'making it work' where you gain understanding of the transistions of physical properties to analog signals and finally to digital data is something i greatly enjoy. And I believe working as a team to solve these kinds of problems together is an invaluable learning experience.

🏖️ Outside of ALMA i am the education coordinator for the LTU Kiruna campus, I work at the Kiruna student nightclub and I work at organising the welcoming activites for the next round of Kiruna international students. In my spare time I enjoy the Kiruna nature as well as work on various personal projects.

Sometimes all you need is a broomstick and some tape to find a satellite.

ALMA Software wizards Johan Manske and Casper Åhl successfully got our off-the-shelf GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) sensor to detect a signal and report a location.

From a science pov, we want to know the location of our experiment in order to make a better judgement about the spatial particle distribution in the atmosphere above Sweden.

The test was carried out in the beautiful of .

This week it’s time to introduce the fourth and final new member of ALMA’s science department, that joined us back in February, Marcus:

📌 Greetings, my name is Marcus Johnson, I am 24 years old and come from a town called Hudiksvall, about 300 km north of Stockholm.

🎓 I have wanted to become a space engineer ever since I first heard of the Space Engineering program at LTU, which is why I am now living in Kiruna. I chose the specialization Space and Atmospheric Physics since the science behind space is one of my great interests.

🎈 Since I am interested in the science of atmospheres, joining ALMA was a obvious choice for me. In ALMA, I am part of the science division of the OSAC where I will help analysing the data that we get from it.

🌋 When I am not studying, you will find me sitting in front of my computer or walking around the city.

Today it’s time to introduce the final new member of ALMA’s Ozonesonde team, Malik:
📍 Hi! My name is Malik and I’m 1/3 of ALMA:s Ozonesonde team. I am originally from a smaller suburb outside of Stockholm and, like many others, I’ve somehow ended up here in Kiruna.
🎓 I have a bit of background in space- and atmospheric science, but I recently moved my focus to learn and get more hands-on experience with the engineering side of space. Because of my interest and experience in both science and engineering, ALMA has been a perfect fit where I get to put what I have learned into practice as part of a larger student project.
🎈 Within the project I have worked closely with the other members of the Ozonesonde team with integration and testing of the Ozonesonde. As September approaches, I am also helping prepare the OSAC box for launch. The best part of being in a project like ALMA is sharing a common goal with other students from different backgrounds and experiences but all with a shared interest in space.
🌋 Outside of ALMA I am the project manager for the space-oriented job fair: LiftOff. In my limited free time, I love just doing any type of activity with friends; hiking, skiing, cooking, could be anything. Kiruna is a smaller and quieter place, so you can’t wait for things to land in your lap. It’s important to take initiative and create things to do with the people around you who are in the same boat. With this in mind Kiruna becomes a cosier place to live in, and the growing space industry around is something I find really exciting.

Now it’s time for the second new member of ALMA’s Ozonesonde team, Annie:

Howdy! 🌵
📌 My name is Annie and I am 1/3 of the Ozonesonde team. I am 23 years old and I was born on a farm in the heart of Sweden, Dalarna.

🎓 Space engineering was the coolest education I had ever heard of, which is the reason I swapped them cows for reindeers and moved up to Kiruna. Here I will begin my last years as a 'Space and Atmospheric Physics' student.

🎈 ALMA was the project that best suited my interest for science and I am a proud member of the Ozonesonde team together with Malik and Evelina. But since we are all in the same sleigh, I will also assist on the final tests and assemblies of the main experiment, the OSAC. It is with joy and great excitement I look forward to ALMA's launch!

🏜️Regardless of the many outdoor activities that Kiruna offers, I often enjoy the simple things in life, such as a good book, hanging with friends, my banjo, or every movie interesting enough to be called a western. As soon as the cinema opens up in the new city centre, that is where I will spend the 25th each month.