Here are minutes of our telecon on Tuesday Oct. 3, my apologies for the delay! -- as well as work done since then -- please just reply with (or let me know) any corrections -- thanks! :
Attendees: Arnold Gaertner (NRC) and me
Quite a bit of bureaucracy and (mostly-unrelated-to-ALTAIR) travel over the past couple of weeks: NSERC discovery grant applications are due at the end of this month (and it appears that there will be CSA nanosat and FAST grant opportunities due right after that), so much time has gone into (and also has yet to go into) preparing for those grant application submissions. The bits of equipment that were delivered in New Hampshire are now all safely back in Victoria (except for a LiPoly battery that appears to have been taken by customs in Bermuda, which I passed through before going back to Canada). This week, in addition to grant writing, I'll be moving our PVC-pipe-based outdoor drop testing setup from the lab here in the Elliott Bldg out to the deck of my townhouse, because it is taking up too much room in the lab and preventing one of a pair of double doors from being opened (campus health & safety did an inspection and said that we should fix that). I've also been slowly starting to move the Arduino-based onboard flight control software from approximately 5000 lines of spaghetti code to a more proper (and readable) object-oriented structure, starting with the telemetry: I've made a generic telemetry interface base class (ALTAIR_GenTelInt), from which classes representing the DNT900, SHX1, and RFM23BP transceivers will each derive (ALTAIR_DNT900, ALTAIR_SHX144, and ALTAIR_RFM23BP). Other sensors will then follow. I've also started to investigate Discourse further, as a possible replacement for our Hypernews.
Students Alexy Decrooq and Kyle Jordan, as well as software expert Layth Holubeshen, have now excellently completed getting the code that runs the balloon flight path predictor running inside of AIFCOMSS:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/07/10/18.55-39312-IFCOMSSwithPredictor1.png http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/07/10/18.55-56749-IFCOMSSwithPredictor2.png
into better shape such that it is much easier to install, and they have also completed relatively easy and reproducible instructions on how to install it (on Windows and Linux platforms). We have now added those instructions as a README at https://github.com/ProjectALTAIR/AIFCOMSSwithCUPredictorTest. The next task is for me to add MacOS instructions to those excellent Linux and Windows instructions, and then to work on updating and improving the flight prediction code itself -- and also, after that, see if we can successfully simulate some form of station-keeping over a region of land, using the actual wind forecasts and data from NOAA, and also reasonable values for drag, propulsive thrust, battery power (as well as some battery recharging with future lightweight solar panels), etc etc.
Machinist Chris Secord has been very busy welding the 12" diameter aluminum sphere that will function as our pre- and post-flight photometry cross-check device, and here's the result of his work:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/08/21/19.38-86577-WeldedSphere.jpg
He still needs to tack-weld the bottom support ring onto the bottom half of the sphere. When he finishes this weld job, we'll then prime the interior with white powder coat, and then use our Avian-B paint to paint over the powder coat (Avian-B sticks far better over a powder coat than directly on aluminum, since Avian-B does not contain etch primer). The sphere should be coated and completed in the next couple of weeks. ALTAIR-Victoria is fully assembled, and its light sources are functioning nominally:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/10/02/14.50-21791-ALTAIRFittedTop.jpg
however: only the light sources themselves, plus the basic telemetry, have been tested so far -- they both need to be tested in concert with the photodiode readout; with the orientation, GPS, and environmental monitoring; with the onboard data storage; with the propulsion and its monitoring data; etc., etc., etc. Much of the software to combine all that functionality, and resultantly _very_ large number of possible error conditions, still needs to be written. Thus, there remains an enormous amount to do -- including, of course, drop testing, more long-range telemetry testing, etc. -- before seriously thinking about a flight ... 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.
The survey-tripod-mounted device to cross-check yaw-pitch-roll information from the gondola (e.g., on days before/after flights) is 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 to finish the 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 landing gear has been started and 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.
Another next step, software-wise, is to add a bunch of additional data information to the telemetry communication between ALTAIR-Victoria:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/06/26/19.25-55880-ALTAIRwithGear.JPG
and the Capella ground station:
http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/01/23/21.17-37945-Capella.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 our usual 4:00 pm Eastern time.
Cheers, talk to you all tomorrow! justin
On Mon, 02 Oct 2017 21:53:06 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi all! > > Telecon tomorrow (Oct. 3 in North America, Oct. 4 in Australia) at the > regular time: 4:00 pm Eastern (1:00 pm Pacific, 10 am Hawaii, 22.00 > European, 7 am Eastern Australia). One important thing that needs some > discussion is the fact that I've been informed that we (unfortunately!) > need to replace this ALTAIR Hypernews mailing system and forum software > with another forum software package ASAP: our Hypernews server has been > compromised by a Hypernews security vulnerability that has been > exploited by spammers who use our server to intermittently send their > rotten canned meat products worldwide. The Hypernews experts at SLAC and > elsewhere know about this vulnerability, and it is impressively > difficult to contain (without custom firewalls, etc, which the computer > security experts at UVic say are not really feasible here). Note that > Hypernews itself is no longer really a supported package (the last > Hypernews software update was in 2012). The suggestion (from computing > experts Charlotte Hee at SLAC [who manages Hypernews at SLAC] and Colin > Leavitt-Brown here at UVic) is that we may perhaps want to switch to > Discourse ( https://www.discourse.org ), and so we should investigate > that as a possible replacement. > > The other usual 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: > > 0) Hypernews replacement > 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 > > P.S. Since I had to get up at 4 am this morning I think I'll send the > meeting minutes (+ work done over the last 2 weeks) e-mail tomorrow > morning instead of this evening (apologies as usual for the delay!). > Just FYI, a very large amount has been done over the past two weeks -- > here are some photos (which I'll explain in the minutes): > > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/10/02/14.50-36466-ALTAIRopened.jpg > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/10/02/14.50-89841-ALTAIRTopAndInner.jpg > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/10/02/14.50-54830-ALTAIRUpperWiring.jpg > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/10/02/14.50-21791-ALTAIRFittedTop.jpg > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2017/10/02/14.50-58543-ALTAIRNewParts.jpg
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/2017/10/02/14.50-21791-ALTAIRFittedTop.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
