Here are the minutes of our meeting yesterday -- please just reply with (or let me know) any corrections -- thanks!:
Phoning in: John Woodward (NIST), Max Fagin (Dartmouth/Harvard), Yorke Brown (Dartmouth/Harvard), Karun Thanjavur (UVic)
Max (and Yorke after he found parking) updated us on the status at Dartmouth -- they're working on updating the power supply (to rechargeable LiPoly batteries), and the flight control board, and other issues for the updated payload for this spring. Both they and we at UVic are also starting to look (in rough terms) at the angular distribution of the output of the integrating spheres -- Dartmouth using data from the far field (17 km away), and Karun and Spencer in the near field (~40 cm away) on an optical table -- we should each have more data soon. (This will, of course, be done in earnest at our national standards labs -- NRC-INMS and NIST for this -- but it is good to collect some initial data.) Conditions are unfortunately still not good in NH for serendipitous flights, but we have spring and our new payload to very greatly look forward to.
As you all know, we've ordered new laser modules from World Star Tech: 1) 450 nm, 400 mW (ordered 2 of these), 2) 638 nm, 220 mW (1), 3) 670 nm, 350 mW (2), 4) 808 nm, 350 mW (1) -- and they should be ready by early March. The fiber splitters from Ocean Optics have arrived in NH, and we'll need to get at least one of them up to Toronto to World Star for them to use in aligning by the end of this month. Karun and Spencer are starting to work on the portable box that will serve as a pre- and post-flight calibration check for the onboard photodiodes -- Max has kindly sent some helpful drawings on how to mechanically reference it to the onboard sphere, and Karun and Spencer will be talking with the machine shop about that.
Cordell is still in India for the BRITE launch campaign, but as usual please post any comments on his draft ICD, as well as his CAD drawings.
On computing/website, James Hartwick has made a few improvements to the main and instrumentation pages recently. As usual, let us (Chris Tooley [ctooley@uvic.ca] and I) know if you see any issues that should be fixed anywhere, or also of course feel free to log in and change them yourself anytime.
On upcoming grant applications, we believe we might have found a Canadian primary company partner for the purpose of the upcoming DND-NSERC grant proposal: Meggitt Training Systems Canada (http://www.meggittcanada.com) after we talked with Afzal Suleman, a professor of aerospace engineering here at UVic who is fortunately very interested in ALTAIR, and works closely with Meggitt Canada. (Meggitt is a division of the very large, England-based aerospace and defence contractor Meggitt Plc -- http://www.meggitt.com.) So, over the next couple weeks we'll be writing up a very first rough draft of the grant proposal, which I'll be interfacing with several of you about, before we send the draft around more widely.
That's all I remember. Please send things I forgot. Next meeting on Thurs., Feb. 28, at the regular 11:00 Eastern time.
cheers, thanks all!!! justin
On Thu, 14 Feb 2013 02:23:56 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi, > > Telecon tomorrow (Thursday Feb. 14 -- don't forget it, even if you want > to! ;) at our regular time of 11:00 am Eastern time (8 am Pacific, 17.00 > European). Discussion items include: new laser modules order, > preparation for the next flight control board, goniometric calibration, > pre- and post-flight calibration, nanosat design, website, preparation > for upcoming grant applications (e.g. DND-NSERC), and flight plans for > this winter and spring. A reminder of the CSA project timeline is > attached. > > Here's the dial-in info: If you are calling in from Canada or U.S.: > 1. Dial Toll-Free Number: 866-740-1260 (U.S. & Canada) > 2. Enter 7-digit access code: 5082741 followed by the # > > If you are calling in from elsewhere: > 1. To locate International Toll-Free Numbers go to > http://www.readytalk.com/intl (enter 7-digit access code 5082741) > 2. Dial toll free number from web link > 3. Enter Passcode: Enter 7-digit ACCESS CODE: 5082741 followed by the # > > Here's the tentative agenda: > I) Ongoing work at Dartmouth -- preparation for next payload and flights in coming months > II) New lasers order, fiber splitters, pre- and post-flight calibration, and goniometric calibrations > III) Flight plans this winter and spring > IV) Nanosat design: please post or send comments on Cordell's ICD (and CAD drawings)! > V) Computing & website > VI) Upcoming grant applications > VII) AOB > > Talk to you all tomorrow! > justin > > Attachment: > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2012/11/12/18.02-43361-Schedule-20120702_hqp.pdf >