mission statement: mission statement: team t.w.s.s. will design and construct a balloonsat that will...
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Mission Statement: Mission Statement: Team T.W.S.S. will design and construct a BalloonSat that will simultaneously image the stars in both the visible and near-infrared spectrum in order to empirically measure at which altitude stars become visible within each unique spectrum.
› Cameras mounted side by side in BalloonSat within specially designed cradle/holster.
› Shape of Irregular Triangular Prism makes optimum use of space while keeping vital components close to the heater (or so we thought) – also keeps cameras mounted at 45 degree angle so they are in position to successfully image stars.
3 9-Volt Batteries
Heater
Switch
Switch
Canon A750
Camera
Canon A750
Camera
HOBO
Lithium Battery (2 each)
Internal Temperature
External Temperature
Humidity
Functional Block Diagram
BalloonSat contained two cameras – one unfiltered and one containing infrared filter created from floppy disk film.
Programmed to take pictures at the same time within 20 second intervals.
Both cameras powered by the same switch and running on same specially written program designed to run on TV setting (instead of AV)
Camera w/o infrared filter
Camera with infrared filter
First proposed
design
Final Design
First design was isosceles triangular prism with no real system for mounting
cameras.
Final design is no longer isosceles but instead irregular triangular prism.
Contains holster specially designed to hold cameras in place.
Predicted to capture images of stars much like these images of the moon:
Predicted an exponential trend:
Original Prediction:
The cameras will not receive data until they reach the altitude at which stars become visible. Upon reaching this threshold, the function will behave exponentially as the number of stars imaged will
eventually increase to a maximum..
Unfortunately, this is what we actually obtained.
Above are six corresponding images from both cameras.
Frost clearly formed on the outside surface of the Plexiglas due to the formation of water droplets and condensation from outside sources such as clouds.
Internal Temperatures (During Flight)
External Temperatures (During Flight)
Internal temperature
decreased below 0 Centigrade
Plexiglas was not sufficiently heated
as a result
Humidity was fairly high inside the BalloonSat, contributing to the overall frost that formed on the Plexiglas.
Absolute Humidity
Our prediction still stands since we did not gain any data from our flight to prove or disprove our hypothesis.
As you can see, the sky was getting darker and, if unobstructed, the cameras would have captured glorious images of the stars.
As previously deduced, the Plexiglas froze over due to water droplets from clouds and internal condensation.
We know this because the formation of ice due to outside sources of water is visible in our collected data of images.
On the bright side, we did collect sufficient evidence to back up the theory that water freezes at temperatures below zero degrees centigrade.
Our mission failed because our Plexiglas window frosted over› Heater’s position
could not distribute warmth to Plexiglas
› Anti-fog for the Plexiglas window was absent
› Humidity levels were too high because desiccant packs were not present
ORIGINAL PRE-FLIGHT DESIGN IMPROVED POST FLIGHT DESIGN
Heater takes place of batteries
We have made several changes to our previous design to prevent future failures and ensure our Plexiglas
window receives adequate heat.
Batteries initially on top of holster
Batteries moved to bottom of
holster
Heater originally underneath cameras
Heating grid positioned to nearly touch Plexiglas
Heater moved to
top of holster
ORIGINAL PRE-FLIGHT DESIGN IMPROVED POST FLIGHT DESIGN
Batteries moved to bottom of holster
A fourth cold test was performed. In order to ensure Plexiglas would not
freeze over in future, Rain-X anti-fog wipes were used on surface.
Desiccant packs were placed inside. The heater was not turned on in
order to determine if Plexiglas would freeze under most extreme conditions.
Water was poured on surface of Plexiglas before test to simulate water droplets.
External Temperature during post flight Cold test
without Heater.
Internal Temperature during post flight Cold Test without
Heater.
Temperatures descended well
below zero
Plexiglas did not freeze over
Changes proved successful
NOTE: Pictures are unavailable because
the cold test container is very
dark. However, the team noticed no frost
on Plexiglas upon end of test
Water poured on Plexiglas did
not stick to surface; did not
collect
Changes for future flights Apply anti-fog wipes on viewing window
surface Reposition heater so that it is able to reach
Plexiglas Place desiccant packs inside BalloonSat
Due to our major flaw we:
› Were unable to make any discoveries related to our mission, our cameras worked perfectly but without a clear view of the sky they provided no useful data.
› Our data told us that our design had problems with heat distribution and humidity.
› Realized frost was a problem overlooked because cold tests were allowed to run well past the standard 3.5hrs (up to 7hrs), resulting in frost dissipating before test analysis.
Frost and humidity were problems we overlooked. Anti-fog/desiccant for the window was crucial Testing needs to be more closely controlled Our design needed the heater to be closer to the
window to prevent frost as shown below in our cradle redesign
Storage is simple, there are no external parts to break off and all internal components are secured, care in handling and storage at a reasonable temperature will be sufficient.
Heater should be active 10min prior to launch, cameras should be activated <1min prior to launch.
System has been redesigned (see below).
Weight: 916.4 gTotal funds remaining: $100.30Balloon attachment to RFP spec: CheckSharp edges and burrs removed: CheckFlight string fits through box: CheckQuality of box construction: CheckCorners aluminum taped: CheckSwitches Identified: CheckSwitches Secured in off position: CheckTeam info in two places: CheckAmerican Flag: CheckDrop Test Passed: CheckWhip Test Passed: CheckCold Test Passed: CheckMission Life 3 hours: CheckTest Pictures taken from inside box: CheckHobo Delay Start: False (no launch date)Cameras unobstructed: CheckExternal Temperature Sensor 1” out: Check
Item (* included in Structure) Cost ($) Weight (g)
HOBO Provided56
Foam Core Structure Provided188.2
Heater Provided32
3x 9V Battery Provided 138
Lithium AA Batteries (4) Provided 59.4
Canon A750 Digital Camera Provided207.1
Canon A750 Digital Camera Provided207.1
Velcro $3.62 *
Zip Ties (1) Provided *
Tube and washers Provided 28.6
Aluminum Tape Provided*
Dry Ice $18.31 N/A
9V Battery $10.34 N/A
Brass Rod $0.99 *
Insulation Provided*
Plexiglas $27.09 *
Total $60.35 916.4
Starting funds $150.00
Remaining Funds $89.65
Make sure that all team members communicate effectively and frequently.
If any problem concerning the project arises it should be addressed promptly rather than put off until it is forgotten.
Hold team members accountable for tasks they say they will complete.
Stay on schedule and hold meetings regularly.