Here are minutes of our meeting on Thursday -- please just reply with (or let me know) any corrections -- thanks!:
Phoning in: Yorke Brown (Dartmouth), Arnold Gaertner (NRC), Houman Hakima (UTIAS-SFL), Karun Thanjavur (UVic), and Susana Deustua (STScI)
The replacement parafoil has arrived so, hardware-wise, we are now ready for resumed flights. A drop test will be done by Yorke and Cynthia as soon as is practical, in order to test that new parafoil and the new (more modular) cutdown mechanism that they made. And then a flight can then be done as soon as is practical (weather, etc) after that. Yorke also has some needed software updates to make prior to that flight (and also he'll shortly work on the back-up telemetry card with a second DNT transceiver, but we'll work with the current system in the meantime).
Karun is making progress on Zemax-based computational modelling -- he has contacted LabSphere and AlliedScientificPro for any info they have on numerical optical models for the integrating spheres (or for any of their integrating sphere products), and has begun to create simple standard Zemax models of lenses, laser light etc. Karun and Paul have just finished making a very large (about 3 m^3) dark-box in the downstairs lab at UVic, and the computer automation for the spherical-coordinate goniophotometry stand that they have developed is working. In addition to his Zemax work, Karun will also be using the UVic machine shop to make some enhancements/modifications of the portable payload attitude calibration test stand.
Houman and Cordell are progressing well with the 3-D modelling of the nanosat payload, and of the multicolour laser module, and will be contacting us with questions when they arise. They'll also have some new drawings for us to look at soon.
I've contacted Dale George and Barry Prentice of Buoyant Aircraft Systems again for the superpressure balloon quotation that they've promised us, and I will keep contacting them weekly for their progress on getting us that quote. (Most recently they've been waiting for the company whom they intend to subcontract the sealing to, to get back to them.) The pair of 433 MHz radios (http://embeddedwirelesssolutions.com/ews_rfm23bp_433mhz_development_kit), or rather the Atmega boards that control them, appear to work well and I've found that they can be easily be programmed with a PC (to flash their LEDs), and we've found a library to send datagrams with them at http://www.airspayce.com/mikem/arduino/RadioHead/ . The next step is to run some of the programs in that library and see if they give some reasonable-looking traces on an oscilloscope hooked up to the output pins on the controller board, and then to plug in the transceiver board and try sending a message, and then to see if it can be received by the second pair of boards plugged into another computer. We have also now received (in New Hampshire) the pair of 144 MHz radios (http://www.lemosint.com/radiometrix/radiometrix_details.php?itemID=802) (also for testing, for far-future Europe/Asia/Australia flights) and Yorke may try those out if he happens to get a chance (before I bring those up to Canada after I'm down there at xmastime).
Susana and Nathan have now submitted a request for STScI funding for flight tests of a powered payload, comprised of a 1 m long model aircraft lifted by balloon to operating altitudes, containing a photodiode-monitored, diffusion-based light source. The students in the JHU senior engineering design class will be working on this project with Nathan and Susana. This will be a superb test of propulsion and control at altitude, and also for allowing payload return to base, which are capabilities which we would all like to have.
Readytalk (the teleconferencing system that we've been using for the past 2 years) will likely be disappearing, since the free Readytalk account that we have been using will likely cease to exist as of Oct. 1. Two options for a replacement are Skype and WebEx. Favourable things were said for both possibilities. (And fortunately we only need voice conferencing, as I think actual videoconferencing tends to eat up more bandwidth, and tends to cause more trouble, than the benefit one gets from it, e.g. talk slides and other files can be shared via Hypernews and e-mail before or during a telecon, without needing a video connection.) WebEx has the benefit that one can easily share the view of one's computer desktop. Assuming the Readytalk account does indeed disappear as of Oct. 1, let's try Skype for the first meeting in October (since all of us are familiar with it), and if we find that things could improve with WebEx, then let's try that for the following meeting, and/or as backup. In any case, our next meeting should not be affected at all (since it will be on Sept. 25, before Oct. 1), and so we'll just use the usual Readytalk for it.
Unless there are any objections to this, we'd like to make the move from 2:30 pm Eastern to 1:30 pm Eastern, as usual every other Thursday, permanent, as people at the meeting generally thought that moving to an hour earlier was a little bit more convenient. I'll also send a separate post about this -- if you have any objections (or would prefer a day/time different than either one of these two times), please do express them!
That's all I remember, please send things that I forgot. Next telecon in two weeks, most likely (please see above!) on Thursday, Sept. 25 at 1:30 pm Eastern time.
cheers, thanks all! justin
On Thu, 11 Sep 2014 03:52:19 GMT, Justin Albert wrote:
> Hi, > > Telecon tomorrow (Sept. 11) at another *slightly unusual* time this > week: 1:30 pm Eastern (i.e. an hour earlier than usual: 10:30 am > Pacific, 19.30 European [due to there being a meeting called by CSA, on > a separate but related topic, at the usual time of our meeting this > particular week -- having the telecon an hour earlier than usual was the > best option for the usual attendees]). Discussion items include: > progress toward flights, light source modelling, goniometric and pre- > and post-flight calibration, nanosat and new laser module design, > computing/website, grant applications, recap of schedules, and > replacement options for Readytalk (which disappears next month). 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) Progress toward flights, drop tests, robustness improvements, other operational work > II) Light source studies and modelling, pre- and post-flight calibration, and goniometric calibrations > III) Nanosat, new integrating spheres, and multicolour laser module designs > IV) Computing/website > V) Grant applications > VI) Readytalk replacement options -- e.g. Skype, Webex (our free Readytalk account disappears next month!) > VII) AOB > > Talk to you all tomorrow, thanks, > justin > > Attachments: > http://projectaltair.org/HyperNews/get/AUX/2012/11/12/18.02-43361-Schedule-20120702_hqp.pdf >