The experiment was to study the efficiency of solar panels at high altitudes. We hypothesized that as the solar panels ascended in the atmosphere, they would become more efficient. To test this, we connected flexible solar panels to an Arduino UNO microprocessor to measure the voltage at different times throughout the flight.
When analyzing the data, we found that they were more efficient (generated more voltage) at higher altitudes. However, we don't know why this happens. The goal for next semester is to measure pressure, temperature, acceleration, and the magnetic field to determine what specifically affects solar panel efficiency at different altitudes.
