Here are minutes of our telecon Thursday Oct. 13, 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
While out of town at conferences, I made some more updates to the new flight control system (AIFCOMSS: ALTAIR Integrated Flight Control Operation, Monitoring, and Simulation System) which merges Google Maps, Cesium (http://cesiumjs.org), and Processing P5.js (http://p5js.org) monitoring and control. The latest screenshot of it can be seen at:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/10/27/12.06-47664-AIFCOMSSScreenshot.jpg
It's Javascript-based, thus runs in a web browser in a platform-independent way, and communicates with the flight telemetry via a serial port connection through USB to an Arduino connected to a DNT900P transceiver and antenna. There's still of course a _very_ long list of functionality and features that still need to be added to it, however.
After returning on the 22nd, I completed a few more of the electrical connections on the cover plate of the initial ALTAIR-Victoria gondola and payload (a photo, from before connections were added, at:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/10/13/10.09-95244-IMG_2357.jpg
). I should be able to finally finish those connections next week (right after the NSERC discovery grant is due on Nov. 1).
Mark Lenckowski and Paul Poffenberger are currently working on the new 10-meter-high drop test setup at Victoria, using a new idea that Mark has for how to use our PVC pipe which we purchased for this purpose.
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.
Regarding the simulation part of AIFCOMSS, 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 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'm developing a visualization interface for the simulation within AIFCOMSS, which will display the real-time (as well as forecasted) winds within the Cesium frame of AIFCOMSS in a way that is somewhat similar to this site:
https://earth.nullschool.net
Here you can see the first attempt at a movie within Cesium of a proto-ALTAIR flying 200 meters above someplace in Kansas:
https://particle.phys.uvic.ca/~jalbert/ALTAIRCesiumDemo.mov
and also a first attempt at displaying some ersatz wind streaks across the Earth here:
https://particle.phys.uvic.ca/~jalbert/WindyWorldCesiumDemo.mov
A 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, as well as storage of the telemetered info.
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 today, just under 3 hours from now(!), at 6 pm Eastern time. (And I'll also send around a Doodle poll for a new day/time after this meeting.)
cheers, thanks very much all! justin
On Thu, 13 Oct 2016 02:45:40 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi! > > Telecon tomorrow (Oct. 13 in North America, Oct. 14 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/telescope plans and tests; construction, drop testing, and other > tests of the new gondolas/payloads here in Victoria; 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 & telescope plans, and upcoming tests > II) Construction, drop tests, and other forms of tests of the new gondolas and payloads here in Victoria. > III) Diffused light source, and its modelling, pre- and post-flight calibration, and goniometric calibrations > IV) Nanosat solid models & Houman's thesis > V) Computing/website, including new flight control and simulation progress. > 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
