Here are minutes of our telecon Tuesday Jan. 24, 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
We're, of course, in the middle of the winter/spring school term, and I'm teaching 2 courses (including stat mech, which I haven't previously taught), which certainly slows progress somewhat (next week however is Reading Break from classes here, so I'm very much looking forward to getting more ALTAIR work done then!) We'll be using ground station Capella and test box Betelgeuse for an observational test of telescope tracking of UVic's 8" Celestron telescopes, using the radio transmission of the GPS location of a light source. Karun, together with undergrad Nick Hammar, have taken some initial stellar images with one of the Celestrons (initially lost, due to a nasty hard drive failure, but then heroically retaken), and next we'll take some images of a stationary terrestrial light source located about 10 km away (specifically at the DAO). Then we will try tracking the terrestrial light source using radio transmission of the light source's GPS position sent via Betelgeuse (which will be located at the source) to Capella (which will be located next to the telescope).
I still need to work on getting Capella:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/01/23/21.17-37945-Capella.jpg http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/01/23/21.17-83540-CapellaGuts.jpg
talking with the Betelgeuse test box (which you can actually see in the far lower left corner of the first photo above), and then after that with the main ALTAIR-Victoria board. I do appear to have solved (cross fingers) the timing issues I had been having with communication between the DNT900P and the Arduino: moving from a software-based serial connection on an Arduino Uno, to a hardware serial line on an Arduino Mega 2560, appears to fix the problem. (I couldn't find a software solution, as hard as I tried, but it was not difficult to swap out the Arduino itself to a Mega which has more than 1 hardware serial line, and that definitely appears to fix it.)
I've continued to update the AIFCOMSS monitoring and control software, with this week's latest screenshot at:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/02/06/21.02-16393-OMSSScreenshot_6feb17.png
I've swapped out the Google Maps window (which was in the upper left) for a Windytv window, which additionally provides wind information. The next steps are to get wind speed and direction text (at ALTAIR's altitude) into the Windytv window text box, then add an altitude slider for winds at different altitudes, and a time slider for the wind forecast and recent history. And then add ALTAIR flight path predictions...
Neil Honkanen in the physics & astronomy electronics shop here has populated the diffusive light source that we got from Yorke (long ago) with its electronic components:
(front)
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/01/09/17.32-17298-DiffusiveLightSource1.jpg
(back)
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/01/09/17.32-29105-DiffusiveLightSource2.jpg
all except for one quadrant (the quadrant with yellow LEDs, since the yellow Optek LEDs were backordered -- we'll get those from Mouser around Feb. 1 and then we'll finish populating the last quadrant). In the meantime, the machine shop is now fabricating the spacer and diffuser plate for this source; then I'll test it (sans yellow), and make an installation for it in the ALTAIR-Victoria gondola (which will be easily swapped out for the integrating sphere-based light source, and will possibly even be able to accommodate flying both light sources at once). Then, by that time, we'll have gotten the yellow LEDs, and they will be added to the source.
Mark Lenckowski has 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 see (faintly), 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. Mark is now working on some carabiner-type attachments for the end of the pole, and he should have those finished in about a week or so.
Recent 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, we'll be working on adding flight path prediction information to the Windytv and Cesium windows of AIFCOMSS, using GFS (global forecast system) file input for both forecast and real-time information of winds.
Another 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 ** tomorrow, at 4 pm Eastern time **.
Cheers, talk to you all tomorrow! justin
On Tue, 24 Jan 2017 04:49:00 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi! > > Telecon tomorrow (Jan. 24 in North America, Jan. 25 in Australia) at the > 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
