Here are minutes of our telecon Thursday Sept. 1, my apologies for the delay! -- as well as some work done since then -- please just reply with (or let me know) any corrections -- thanks! :
Attendees: Arnold Gaertner (NRC) and me
As mentioned in the previous minutes we had a successful drop test of the parafoil and the dummy payload on Saturday Aug. 27 (video and photos posted in the previous minutes). Although we were able to drop-test the plain, un-motorized dummy, we also need to do drop test(s) with the motorized dummy payloads (which have props, motors, and rotating propulsion axle), to see how they do, both with and without their propulsion turned on. As also mentioned, some issues with using the Elliott Bldg. location for drop tests are 1) the glide ratio of the parafoil makes it so the landing is too close for comfort to the building, 2) the landing is on cement, rather than a softer or more natural surface like earth or grass, and 3) there are trees. Thus, we have an athletic field reserved for drop tests next week, in which we will first attempt to erect a 10-meter-high temporary portable structure, made from PVC pipes and fittings, from which to do the drops. After last week doing a brief successful test with erecting a "small" 20-foot-high PVC-pipe-structure, today I purchased the additional PVC pipes and fittings needed to make the full 10-meter structure, thus we'll see how that goes next week -- assuming the weather cooperates.
The hardware for the pre- and post-flight photometry cross-check device -- the 12" aluminum sphere (a photo of it is attached in a link at the bottom of this message, http://www.sharpeproducts.com/store/aluminum-12-dia-sphere) as well as the white "Avian-B" Lambertian reflective paint for its interior -- is in the machine shop here at UVic for machining and painting. This will be a field photometry check device to, in the field immediately before launch, and right after recovery, cross-check photometry information from the ALTAIR gondola (to an accuracy and precision of about 1% or so. Note that photometry checks which will be more precise than that will be done in the lab, most precisely at NRC, and/or NIST -- however we want to have the ability to do quick cross-checks in the field immediately before and after flight.) Some renderings (of the upcoming device) are also attached in the attachment links at the bottom of the message. Student Tyler Makaro and machinist Jeff Trafton coated a small test hemisphere:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-99000-AvianBTestHemisphere.jpg
The large sphere should be coated and completed in approximately a month or two.
The survey-tripod-mounted device to cross-check yaw-pitch-roll information from the gondola (e.g., on days before/after flights) is mostly constructed now, thanks to Mark Lenckowski -- photo at
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/31/18.15-24048-wPitchRollCalibDevice.jpg
and all that remains to be done is a small fitting between the device and the bottom of the payload. The purchased hardware in it includes both the survey tripod (http://www.cpotools.com/cst-berger-60-alwi20-o-aluminum-tripod-with-quick-release--orange-/cstn60-alwi20-o,default,pd.html), two adjustable angle mounts (http://www.thorlabs.com/thorproduct.cfm?partnumber=AP180), and a rotation mount (https://www.thorlabs.com/thorproduct.cfm?partnumber=RP01). That last fitting to attach (temporarily, pre- or post-flight) the upper adjustable angle mount to the payload feet will be completed here in the next couple weeks.
We're currently revising the draft initial contractual agreement from our colleagues at Globalstar Canada regarding 2 initial SPOT Trace devices (and their service plans) for the educational side-project for the upcoming NATO SPS application, in which classrooms in elementary and high schools could launch company-donated SPOT Traces using party balloons (or a more environmentally-friendly version thereof), and track them to learn more about winds at different levels in Earth's atmosphere.
Our next step, software-wise, is to establish telemetry communication between the main ALTAIR-Victoria board:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-32651-ectronicsBoard17aug16.jpg
and the Betelgeuse test-box:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-68004-Betelgeuse1.jpg http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-53104-Betelgeuse2.jpg
and to update the control and monitoring software to incorporate the telemetered info, and also implement onboard SD card data storage, and storage of the telemetered info. Also, we need to keep moving on simulation and flight prediction software..
Regarding simulation, James Hartwick (senior undergrad here at UVic, who has done an enormous amount for ALTAIR, including much of the current projectaltair.org website, light source work, etc) has now written an ALTAIR flight propulsion control and simulation program, which includes GFS (global forecast system) file input, for both forecast and real-time information of winds at all points in Earth's atmosphere. We'll have plots, images, and data from his software coming up very soon. I am developing a visualization interface for this control and simulation program, which will be based on Google Earth or another comprehensive GIS viewer, but display the real-time (as well as forecasted) winds within Google Earth or another GIS viewer in a way that is somewhat similar to this site:
https://earth.nullschool.net
I've finally converged around using Cesium (http://cesiumjs.org), an open-source, open-API, Google Earth alternative for a start on simulating ALTAIR -- and here you can see a movie of a first attempt of a proto-ALTAIR flying 200 meters above someplace in Kansas:
https://particle.phys.uvic.ca/~jalbert/ALTAIRCesiumDemo.mov
and a first attempt at displaying some ersatz wind streaks across the Earth here:
https://particle.phys.uvic.ca/~jalbert/WindyWorldCesiumDemo.mov
I'm now working on interfacing Cesium with the new flight control, so that we can ultimately both control, and view ALTAIR's location, simultaneously within a single browser-based app.
Houman will send Cordell and/or us updated sections of his master's thesis soon -- that information will be extremely useful to us going forward. Also, Susana and Nathan, it would be very helpful for us all to get the JHU students' final writeup when you have a chance.
Our next grant application will be a NATO "Science for Peace and Security" application, together with Australian colleague partners.
That's all I remember, please send things that I forgot. Next telecon tomorrow(!) (Sept. 15), at 6 pm Eastern time.
cheers, thanks very much all! justin
On Thu, 01 Sep 2016 01:23:58 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi! > > Telecon tomorrow (Sept. 1 in North America, Sept. 2 in Australia) at the > regular time: 6:00 pm Eastern (3:00 pm Pacific, noon Hawaii, midnight > European, 8 am Eastern Australia). Discussion items include: flight and > telescope plans and tests; light sources and light source modelling; > goniometric and pre- and post-flight calibration; propulsion work; > nanosat bus and payload solid models; computing/website; grant > applications; and recap of schedules. > > Here's how to connect: > > 1) Open Skype on your computer (note that of course, you should first install Skype, http://www.skype.com , on your machine if you haven't already). > 2) In the "Contacts" menu, add me ( jalbertuvic ) as a contact, if you haven't already. > 3) Just wait for me to Skype-call you at the usual time (4 pm Eastern, 1 pm Pacific). > 4) If there is any trouble, or if you don't get a Skype-call for some reason and would like to join, just send me an e-mail (jalbert@uvic.ca). > > Here's the tentative agenda: > > I) Flight and telescope plans and tests > II) Diffused light source, and its modelling, pre- and post-flight calibration, and goniometric calibrations > III) Propulsion & motor control work, and the new motorized dummy payloads > IV) Nanosat solid models & Houman's thesis > V) Computing/website > VI) Grant applications > VII) AOB > > Talk to you all tomorrow, thanks! > justin
Attachments:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-32651-ectronicsBoard17aug16.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-99000-AvianBTestHemisphere.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-30898-TopPlate.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-7894-CutdownSystem.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-38576-tdownAndSteeringSetup.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-68004-Betelgeuse1.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-53104-Betelgeuse2.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.32-41770-DropTestSetup1.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.32-76024-DropTest4.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/17.21-74532-tSetup_draft11aug2016.pdf
