Results from Two Low Mass Cosmic Ray Experiments Flown on the HASP Platform

The High Altitude Student Payload (HASP) program is designed to carry twelve student experiments to an altitude of about 123,000 feet (∼37 km). In 2006, students participated in the first HASP launch to measure cosmic ray intensities using traditional film and absorbers. This 10 kg payload flew from Fort Sumner, New Mexico in early September 2006 and was a great success. In 2007, students participated in the second HASP flight to measure the cosmic ray intensity and flux using a traditional film and absorber stack with five layers of optically stimulated luminescent (OSL) dosimeters. Results from both payloads showed that the cosmic ray flux decreases as a function of payload depth. As the cosmic rays go through the stack, they deposit their energy in the payload material. Determining cosmic ray flux is a tedious task. It involves digitizing the film and determining the real cosmic ray density. For the first HASP payload, students used a program known as GlobalLab to count particles. For the second payloa...