For my capstone project, I studied the science of hot air balloons and created one myself. I’ve always had an interest in air travel, particularly airplanes and hot air balloons. The guiding question for this project was, “How can I use the science of thermodynamics and other engineering principles to create a miniature hot air balloon?”

My capstone project was split into several phases. During the research phase, I learned about the basic principles of a hot air balloon, as well as all the parts that make it work. I also learned about the Montgolfier brothers and their first ever hot air balloon. During the prototyping phase, I created three lighter than air vehicles, or “LTAVs” for short. LTAV-03 became my final product for my capstone.

Creating a hot air balloon from scratch was a lot more difficult than I thought it would be at first. Air temperature, and by extension air density, play a huge role in getting the balloon off the ground. I also had to worry about heat sources, since open flame was a little too risky due to the small size of the prototypes. Also, figuring out the lifting power of the balloon was a bit tricky since the outside air temperature kept changing, and some of the test flights were done indoors. Despite these challenges, I successfully got the final product to lift off and I’m proud to say I created a working hot air balloon for my capstone.

Link to my capstone presentation: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1OT0i4QkbxNRrJXsYbYxAnKUwDW_L7g9D4UKFqm3Ecqo/edit?usp=sharing

Annotated Bibliography:https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XTB4efIXDvLuyVVlCjLoiPXvnJ8ev-HWp7_xIqOk5Zc/edit?usp=sharing

For this lit log assignment I emulated Cormac McCarthy’s writing style and added a short scene where the man and the boy discover something on the beach.