September 15, 2011

Welcome to Season 2!

Last left off with broken antenna and code that flopped

Quad helix antenna needs optimization

• Work in June & July made headway
• We need to hack the antenna, add some wire, tune it
• Antenna tuner available to use
• Longer wire of current antenna needs to be tuned to 137Mhz (High side 149MHz)
• Need some cable connectors, SMA-male to connector with antenna

Stan the stand may need some love

• Perhaps build a new stand

Speedball-1 needs to be re-commissioned

• Flight software check
• Need shortwave transmitter & antenna
• From Spaceport, IN or 2.0 from original source
• Possible to hang radio off the ballast bottle
• Needed to stop RF interference
• Remember, antenna line needs to be lengthened
• Ballast bottle still exists
• Need to check the ground equipment

Speedball-2

• Long way from flight ready
• Flight computer needs to be built fully
• Surface mount soldering required
• Comm controller is complete
• Other electronics needs to be built
• Dry ballast system needs to be saved for local tests
• GPS simulator needs to be recovered & stored for future simulations
• Thermal box already built
• Cloud sensor, riggings, etc. need to be built.
• Easy stuff because Speedball-1 can be used as a reference 

Software

• Are ballast software tweaks good for actual flight? Need to be tested
• A few flaws and limitations were found with the code during software testing.
• Will have a meeting dedicated to this

Goal is to knock out the Speedball-1 & Speedball-2 quickly and then design new balloon

State of the Envelope Address

• Originally had 5 balloons made
• One balloon damaged in testing – minor damage, but not flyable
• All seams are highly suspect in all balloons
• Probably should get rid of ducts in envelopes and replace with Japanese discs
• Need high airflow output, but needs to be stopped when not in use

Software for satellites needs to be fixed

• May need a new chip for the comm controller FIO.
• New board that’s not a FIO may need to be designed

Mission control servers need to be reinstated.

Personnel

• Brad did web support, mission control
• Bill did simulation systems, email translation,
• Tyler did weather forecasting
• Dan did comm controller code

Data infrastructure

• Need a more cohesive system for information.
• 6 servers currently that should be consolidated
• Should we rebuild those? Or bite the bullet?
• Bring the old system back online.
• Don’t make changes yet.
• When we get free time, rebuild it from scratch.

Current website

• Website is functional and fine
• Public balloon tracking software is not there.
• Map API is fine.
• Speed gage, etc.
• Data is not getting out!
• Mission control could benefit from this.

Wiki

• Brain dump needs less dump
• Logical arrangement needs to be updated

Super Pressure Balloon

• Solar powered electronics need to be developed
• A lot more experimentation is expected
• Sleeping code to conserve energy needs to be developed
• Extremely lightweight
• GHOST balloon program from 1967 shown and discussed, an astounding example

Supplies need to be organized

Shelves are being purchased and stuff moved