Here are minutes of our meeting on Thursday -- please just reply with, or let me know, any corrections -- thanks!:
Phoning in: Houman Hakima (UTIAS-SFL), Yorke Brown (Dartmouth), Karun Thanjavur and Ryan Thomas (UVic), Susana Deustua (STScI), and Max Fagin (Purdue) (regrets from: Arnold Gaetner (NRC))
We had a successful flight last Sunday (May 18), in which we were all able to show that both the parafoil control system, and the new recovery beacon, work just as they should. The onboard flight video can be found at http://altair1.dartmouth.edu/ALTAIR12/A12-OnBoard.mp4. We launched at just after 5 am from Garipay Field in Hanover (Cynthia, Angela, Waad, Karun, me). The science/observation station was at Robert Frost Lane approximately 7 km east (with Yorke and Ryan). Star alignment of the telescope was successfully done prior to the flight, but there was some trouble focusing the camera before sunrise occurred, so there are no telescope images of the flight. Not a problem, since it was intended to be a parafoil and beacon daytime test flight, not a nighttime science flight, so the flight achieved exactly what it intended. The parafoil control works beautifully, as you can see from the video. The beacon also worked excellently (modulo a very minor Morse code software bug which Yorke very quickly fixed). When we went to find the payload on Sunday afternoon, we were a bit concerned, since the payload was not at the location that we expected from the beacon info. But Yorke checked his e-mail, and found that the landowners had actually seen and found it in the forested area in the back of their land exactly where the radio beacon had said it was, and had since taken it inside their house, and kindly delivered it to Yorke the next day.
Our next flight is planned to be a nighttime science observation flight, and we would simultaneously like to do a first test of the zero-pressure (float) balloons we purchased from Aerostar nearly 2 years ago. This weekend is rainy weather in Hanover (and we need to develop a procedure checklist for float balloon flights as well) so that next flight will likely wait a week or two. (BTW, Karun, Ryan, and I take off from Hanover tomorrow, and I return on the evening of June 3.) Using a float balloon will test a number of things: 1) the amount of reduction of the shaking of the gondola/payload when at level float as compared with the constantly-rising latex balloons we've always used (which should be a significant benefit for observations), 2) the functionality of ALTAIR with a completely different type of balloon (as a possible test for future superpressure balloons, which will be needed if we are ever to have any propulsion / meandering capability at altitude), and 3) the procedural changes necessary to use a balloon that is completely different (the float balloons are over 40 ft in height, as compared with approx 10 ft for the latex balloons). If we are fortunate and the zero-pressure balloon flight is successful, then at that point we will submit an order for a single superpressure balloon from Dale George in Manitoba, and then find out how that works as well.
Laboratory calibration-wise: Karun and Ryan created a photometry and payload attitude measurement calibration setup here in Yorke's lab at Dartmouth, and have also used it to take and analyze some extremely useful data over the past week, both on the LED beacon "engineering light source" and the integrating sphere "science light source," as well as on the ALTAIR yaw/pitch/roll mini-board (an Ocean Server OS4000-T). Some photos of this lab setup can be found in the attachments to this post, and Karun and Ryan will create a webpage and post with more details on theire setup and calibration results. This setup will complement the photometry calibration setups at NRC and at UVic, and will be the only payload attitude calibration setup. It will also eventually have a portable version that allows us to check and calibrate both photometry and payload attitude measurement in the field right before and after flights. Additionally, 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. And as soon as we have a design for a baffle or diffuser, we'll hand that to Allied Scientific Pro and World Star Tech respectively.
Susana mentioned that she and Nathan were interested in coming up from Baltimore to Hanover, perhaps sometime next month, to take a look at things including the gondola and payload design, and perhaps observe a flight. This would be useful for the JHU student design project this summer/fall to test propulsion at altitude and descent via a model RC aircraft as balloon payload (but to reuse as much as possible from ALTAIR otherwise). Early to mid-June (anytime June 6 - 17) appears like it would be a very good time for such a visit, although Susan and Nathan will confirm with Yorke prior to making plans.
At UTIAS-SFL, Houman is working on the mass budget for the nanosat, together with Cordell, and will let us know if he has any questions for us regarding that. He has completed the initial design of the new integrating spheres, and on that front is waiting for info on baffles from Karun and Divya. And he and Cordell are also continuing to work on the solid modelling for the nanosat bus.
On computing/website, things generally appear stable -- please just either post a note or let me know if any fixes or changes are needed.
I talked with Dan Speers of Mobile Airships (Brantford, ON) a couple weeks ago. He said that Mobile Airships currently has no experience with high-altitude balloons or airships (and in fact they currently didn't even know what materials are suitable for flights at altitudes above ~3 km) -- their business is almost entirely in advertising blimps, but they do have interest in science, and have worked with NASA, NSERC, and a couple of universities on scientific projects using blimps (although not in high-altitude work). He stated that if we could get a swath of suitable material though, he would try his methods of sealing it to see if they could make it into a suitable envelope. He suggested that we contact Dale George in Manitoba (at Buoyant Aircraft Systems International [BASI], http://www.buoyantaircraft.com) -- I actually have talked with Dale about a year and a half ago, and Dale in fact did say at that time that he could make us a superpressure balloon to test out. So I think we will indeed take him up on that, assuming our upcoming zero-pressure balloon flight (see above) is successful. If we then do end up with a successful superpressure balloon flight, at that point Mobile Airships would have the expertise to help turn our system into a propelled blimp.
So, regarding grant applications, if we were able to involve BASI and Mobile Airships, it would significantly expand the purview of the DND-NSERC grant -- since the other requested components (multicolour laser diode module, integrating spheres, and diagnostic devices) are purely components for the payload itself, whereas BASI and Mobile Airships would be for an airship vehicle. It however will take awhile (likely until at least this fall) to a) first successfully fly at least one of our current zero-pressure balloons, b) commission a test superpressure balloon from Dale, and then c) receive and successfully fly the superpressure balloon, and each of those three would need to be done before I think we could reasonably include such airship components, and BASI and Mobile Airships, in the grant request. So we could think about splitting the DND-NSERC grant request into two parts, the first for the payload components (ASAP) and the second for airship components (later). However splitting the request in two might just add complications, so at least for right now we will just continue on the path of there being a single grant request for all of these items.
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. As mentioned above, Susana and Nathan will likely be visiting Hanover NH sometime next month in order to take a closer look at the current ALTAIR gondola and payload design and flight procedures, to better develop shopping lists for JHU students, and for grant requests.
That's all I remember, please send things that I forgot. Next telecon as usual in two weeks, on Thursday, June 5, at 2:30 pm Eastern time.
cheers, thanks all! justin
On Thu, 22 May 2014 00:36:21 GMT, Justin Albert wrote: > Hi, > > Telecon tomorrow (May 22) at our regular time of 2:30 pm Eastern time > (11:30 am Pacific, 20.30 European). Discussion items include: a debrief > from our very successful flight a few days ago (Sunday)!!! -- pictures > at https://altairphotos.shutterfly.com/pictures and > http://altair1.dartmouth.edu/ALTAIR12/index.htm , and an onboard video > can be found at http://altair1.dartmouth.edu/ALTAIR12/A12-OnBoard.mp4 ; > upcoming flight status and planning; goniometric and 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) Debrief from Sunday's flight (& payload recovery) > II) Upcoming flight status > III) Pre- and post-flight calibration and goniometric calibrations > IV) Planning for flights in Hawaii, Arizona, & Chile > V) Nanosat, new integrating spheres, and multicolour laser module designs > VI) Computing/website > VII) Grant applications > VIII) AOB > > Talk to you all tomorrow, > justin > > Attachments: > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2012/11/12/18.02-43361-Schedule-20120702_hqp.pdf http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2014/05/25/10.48-15466-HanoverCalibSetup1.jpg http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2014/05/25/10.48-41764-HanoverCalibSetup2.jpg http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2014/05/25/10.48-76982-HanoverCalibSetup3.jpg http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2014/05/25/10.48-74423-HanoverCalibSetup6.jpg http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2014/05/25/10.48-22316-HanoverCalibSetup7.jpg
