Here are the minutes of our meeting yesterday --- please just reply with (or let me know) any corrections -- thanks!:
Phoning in: Karun Thanjavur (UVic), Yorke Brown (Dartmouth & Harvard), Cordell Grant (Toronto SFL), Arnold Gaertner (NRC-INMS), Keith Vanderlinde (Toronto), Susana Deustua (STScI)
Yorke, Max, and Will have completed the mechanical fabrication and assembly of the new gondola, and the control boards and other new electronics are mostly done -- the main control board is waiting for some final touches on its design, and then Yorke will send that out for fab. The controlled parafoil (replacement for the plain-vanilla parachute, to help avoid landing at the tops of trees) is mostly tested and appears to work quite well. The optical payload (lasers, fiber splitter, sphere) is all at Dartmouth and ready to go. If everything goes well (with main control board finish-up, and remaining tests, e.g. tethered balloon drop), we should be able to get flying again by the second half of this coming month.
For goniometric calibrations, and the pre- and post-flight calibration-check box, Karun has finished a test setup here in Victoria and is basically ready to start taking a little test data, and he and Spencer are working with the machinist to start the detailed design and fab of our pre- and post-flight calibration-check box. At NRC-INMS, Arnold's spectrophotometer for the goniometric calibrations is in use at this moment, but will be available soon for initial checks with our present sphere, possibly in late May / early June.
Cordell is proceeding with nanosat design next steps, including payload and power supply specs, and will have occasional questions for us regarding those over the next weeks.
On computing/website, things appear stable -- please just either post a note or let me know if any fixes or changes are needed.
On upcoming grant applications, we have an initial draft of the project description section for the DND-NSERC grant request, and we will be setting up a telecon with the DND-NSERC program manager to discuss the project, prior to applying as per the program instructions, sometime during the week of May 6. At a minimum, James, the RMCC folks, Keith, and me will call into that.
In other business, Keith has several summer students arriving that will help fabricate and test the initial version of the microwave payload, including both physics and engineering students.
That's all I remember. Please send things I forgot. Next meeting on Thurs., May 9, at the regular 11:00 Eastern time.
cheers, thanks all! justin
On Thu, 25 Apr 2013 00:59:25 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi, > > Telecon tomorrow (Thursday Apr. 25) at our regular time of 11:00 am > Eastern time (8 am Pacific, 17.00 European). Discussion items include: > next flight control board, new gondola, and preparation for flights, new > lasers (in New Hampshire now, ready to go), goniometric calibration, > pre- and post-flight calibration, nanosat design, computing/website, > preparation for upcoming grant applications (e.g. DND-NSERC), and flight > plans for this 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 > II) New lasers, pre- and post-flight calibration, and goniometric calibrations > III) Flight plans this spring > IV) Nanosat design: post or send comments on Cordell's ICD (and CAD drawings) > V) Computing/website > VI) Upcoming grant applications -- DND-NSERC status > VII) AOB > > Talk to you all tomorrow! > justin > > Attachments: > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2012/11/12/18.02-43361-Schedule-20120702_hqp.pdf >