Here are minutes of our meeting on Thursday -- please just reply with, or let me know, any corrections -- thanks!:
Phoning in: Arnold Gaertner (NRC), Yorke Brown (Dartmouth), Karun Thanjavur (UVic), and Keith Vanderlinde (UToronto)
We're now at full manpower in New Hampshire, as Karun, Ryan, and I got here last night (Saturday), and together with Yorke, Waad, Cynthia, and Angela have enough people for flights at the earliest opportunity. The first opportunity will hopefully be this coming weekend (or even earlier), as if at all possible we'd like to do flights with the Dartmouth undergrads, who are in classes during the week. In addition to balloon flights themselves, we'll be setting up a local facility here for both payload attitude and laboratory photometry calibration. We definitely hope to maximize the number of flights we are able to do in the two more weeks we are here, though.
Laboratory calibration-wise: Following the goniometric data from NRC on the spheres and our sources, Karun and Divya are working on numerical modelling of both the present and the future integrating spheres, the latter with and without different baffles in place, in order to study whether a baffle and/or a diffuser in our next set of integrating spheres will be useful for us. As soon as we have a design for a baffle and/or diffuser, we will hand that to Allied Scientific Pro and/or World Star Tech respectively.
Microwave calibration-wise, we had a report from Keith on the status at Toronto: he has two summer students starting, and should soon receive the Gunn diode source from Carlstrom in Chicago. The polarization grid is now strung, although they will likely make future improved (e.g. lighter, etc) versions of it. Keith will contact James to ask about flight status in Michigan. And SPT calibration, and of course SPT info on large angular scale B mode polarization, is of course top priority microwave-wise.
At UTIAS-SFL, Houman has completed the initial design of the new integrating spheres, and on that front is waiting for info on baffles from Karun and Divya. He and Cordell are also continuing to work on the solid modelling for the nanosat bus, and on the optical path and modelling from the new laser module design through the integrating sphere.
On computing/website, things appear stable -- please just either post a note or let me know if any fixes or changes are needed.
Regarding grant applications, I've contacted a company called Mobile Airships in Brantford, ON (http://www.blimpguys.com) to see if they are also interested in working with us on the vehicle aspects of the DND-NSERC grant. This would significantly expand the purview of the DND-NSERC grant -- the other requested components (multicolour laser diode module, integrating spheres, and diagnostic devices) are purely components for the payload itself, whereas this would be for the airship vehicle. Mobile Airships is mostly interested in advertising and commercial low-altitude and indoor blimps, but they do have some interest in science, as per their website they have worked with both NASA and NSERC on a couple of projects. I've talked to the person in charge of sales there, and she suggested that I send an e-mail to the company president (who is also the chief engineer) to discuss, and I've just done so today. If they are indeed interested, that would expand the DND-NSERC proposal greatly, but if not, we'll just be able to send it in essentially as is very shortly. There also is, of course, much recent interest in U.S. grant applications, which could of course focus on nanosat, balloon flights, or both. The best focus there would likely depend on the requested budget, which in turn depends on granting program.
That's all I remember, please send things that I forgot. Next telecon as usual in two weeks, on Thursday, May 22, at 2:30 pm Eastern time.
cheers, thanks all! justin
On Thu, 08 May 2014 03:19:08 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi, > > Telecon tomorrow (May 8) at our regular time of 2:30 pm Eastern time > (11:30 am Pacific, 20.30 European). Discussion items include: flight > status and planning, goniometric calibration, pre- and post-flight > calibration, nanosat and new laser module design, computing/website, > grant applications, and recap of operation plans. 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) Flight status > II) Pre- and post-flight calibration and goniometric calibrations > III) Planning for observatory calibration flights in Hawaii, Arizona, & Chile > IV) Nanosat, new integrating spheres, and multicolour laser module designs > V) Computing/website > VI) Grant applications > 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 >