Happy holidays! Here are minutes of our telecon Tuesday Dec. 3, 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
I've been working on the firmware for the Betelgeuse telemetry test box, and have gotten it so that it is both reading GPS, and transmitting some test data:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/12/19/15.28-8333-BetelgeuseLitUp.jpg
however timing and synchronization issues have as yet been preventing the Betelgeuse Arduino, and DNT transceiver, from transmitting on the DNT the same data that it is reading from the GPS. Yorke has given me some very good hints on how to hopefully solve that problem, so I'll work on that when I get back to Victoria on the 28th.
I'm currently in Hanover NH, and took delivery of a couple packages of equipment for ALTAIR today -- the electronics to finally populate the diffusive list source boards that we got from Yorke long ago:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/12/19/15.28-84686-htSourceComponentsEtc.jpg
and some ALTAIR structural material and batteries:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/12/19/15.28-35276-berStrutsAndBatteries.jpg
I'll take these back up with me to Victoria on the 28th (together with some more Avian-B white paint that I'll be picking up a few miles down the road on Wednesday).
Mark Lenckowski has now completed the stabilized pole for the new 10-meter-high drop test setup at Victoria:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/12/19/15.28-91194-MeterStabilizedPole_1.jpg http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/12/19/15.28-81425-MeterStabilizedPole_2.jpg
As you can faintly see, he affixed side-struts and guy wire to the PVC pole, to prevent it from bending in either of the two transverse directions, so it can now be raised to vertical, from horizontal, without bending or breaking.
Recent major progress also on 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) is now been cut into two hemispheres, with holes for four measurement photodiodes:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/12/19/15.28-19075-Hemispheres1.jpg http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/12/19/15.28-5015-Hemispheres2.jpg
Machinist Chris Secord still needs to cut the large light-entrance port in the top of the first hemisphere, and then we need to paint the interior of both sides with Avian-B paint (after first priming the interior with white power coat). It should be coated and completed in approximately another month.
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. We'll have a brief, pre-holiday telecon ** tomorrow, at 4 pm Eastern time **.
Cheers, talk to you all tomorrow, and also have wonderful holidays! justin
On Mon, 05 Dec 2016 20:58:08 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi! > > Telecon tomorrow (Dec. 6 in North America, Dec. 7 in Australia) at the > new regular time: 4:00 pm Eastern (1:00 pm Pacific, 10 am Hawaii, 10 pm > European, 8 am Eastern Australia). Discussion items include: > flight/telescope plans and tests; construction, drop testing, and other > tests of the new gondolas/payloads; 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/2016/05/22/18.23-24702-12inAlSphere.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/04/06/16.53-58615-SideView.pdf
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/04/06/16.53-48539-TopView.pdf
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/2016/08/17/20.30-68004-Betelgeuse1.jpg
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2016/08/17/20.30-53104-Betelgeuse2.jpg
