Project Monstar
Balloon Sat Proposal
Team Space Jam: Ben AzleinBridget ChasePaul GuerrieTaylor KingShane MeikleMegan ScheeleJames Usherwood
September 16, 2010
ASEN 2500 & ASTR 2500
Project Monstar
September 16, 2010
Overview and Mission Statement : - The balloon sat Monstar will travel to an altitude of approximately 100,000 feet
while taking pictures while rotating 360 degrees in the x and the y planes. (The camera will be rotating vertically, as the balloon sat rotates horizontally) The balloon sat will also record temperature, pressure, humidity and the direction the camera is facing.
- Taking pictures while rotating 360 degrees in the x and y plane will serve many purposes. First and foremost a picture of the entire Earth from 100,000 feet will be obtained from the many pictures that the balloon sat takes. This picture can be used to record qualitative data while comparing it to other pictures of Earth from space and comparing it to the humidity and the temperature at the altitude at which the pictures were taken. We will be able to see the quality of pictures of Earth from 100,000 feet compared to pictures taken from orbit. We can then observe and record any relation between the quality of picture compared to the altitude, temperature and humidity. In addition the camera will take many pictures of the other balloon sats and the balloon itself. These pictures will serve as a sort of “black box” for other balloon sats if something goes wrong. We will be able to give other teams some insight into what, if anything, happened to their balloon sat that caused it to malfunction.
- Monstar will discover how a picture from 100,000 feet compares to pictures from to Earth’s orbit and also how it compares to pictures taken from the ground. The balloon sat should discover that even during the day at some certain altitude stars will be visible and, depending on its location, the moon. Our balloon sat will also take pictures that will provide good insight into the “nature” of the flight. We will be able to measure how many rotations the balloon string makes per minute and if there are any flight disturbances that happen related to altitude, temperature, pressure and humidity. Once the pictures and conditions in which the pictures were taken are analyzed, the resulting data could be used to improve cameras for future missions. (i.e. if a wider angle lens would provide better pictures, etc.)
Technical Overview: The balloon sat structure will be a cube with a small rectangular prism cut out of it. A
smaller cube with the camera inside of it will be embedded in this space so it is free to rotate with the help of two servos. The structure of both containers will be primarily foam core. They will be created with one sheet of foam core that is cut into connected squares and then folded up, thus maintaining the structural integrity of the foam core. The corners will be reinforced with hot glue and aluminum tape to preserve the structure strength and help with maintaining insulation. The two cubes will be attached to the arms of the servos.
Through the center of the satellite will be a PVC pipe, 5 millimeters in diameter. Through this pipe will run the cord, which connects Monstar balloon sat to the
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balloon and other balloon sats. The cord will be 2.5 millimeters in diameter and will be knotted above and below the balloon sat to insure the satellite does not "slip." By using the tube, we will be able to provide insulation on the interior of the satellite using the provided foam insulation. There will be no attempt to reduce friction between the cord and the balloon sat because the friction is needed to rotate the balloon sat. This way, we will be able to get pictures from 360 degrees. The estimated rotation of the balloon sat is about 10 rotations per minute based on previous balloon sat data.
The smaller cube will be a cube with one open side to allow the camera to take pictures. The smaller cube will be 5.8 cm x 8.4 cm x 10.8 cm. The only thing in this cube will be the camera and insulation. The smaller cube will then be connected to the main body of the satellite by two servos on either side which will rotate the camera 180 degrees back and fourth. This will prevent our camera from taking pictures of our satellite as it rotates.
On the inside of our balloon sat there will be a 2.5 cm layer of Styrofoam and all electrical components will have tight fitting compartments carved into the Styrofoam which will provide protection from vibration and shock and also provide insulation. Once all items are packed in Styrofoam the empty center of the satellite will be packed with more Styrofoam creating a solid cube of Styrofoam that has electrical components inlaid in it.
The camera inside the smaller cube will be mounted by taking advantage of the threaded hole on the bottom of the camera meant for tripods. A screw inserted in that hole will connect to a tight fitting covering made of foam core surrounded by Styrofoam. The covering will be protection for landing, vibrations and shocks. It will also insulate the camera.
To connect the small box there will be two servos on either side of the camera so that the camera is facing away from the balloon sat. The servos themselves will be what connects the smaller box to the larger box and also what causes the smaller box containing the camera to spin. For safety there will also be tether connecting the smaller box to the larger box. This will make sure that in the event of the connection between the servos and the camera box failing, the camera box will still stay connected to the large box. At the end of the motion arm (the part that spins) of the servo there will be a gear that is glued with hot glue directly into the foam core that surrounds the camera.
To heat our balloon sat we will use two heaters. One will be in the small box and will be in direct contact with the camera to keep it at a functioning temperature. It will be in between the camera and its tight fitting foam core case. A second heater will be in the center the satellite and will be surrounded by electrical components. The heater will essentially be wrapped around the cube of Styrofoam that is used to fill the empty center of the cube.
For ease of explaining specific positioning we will assume the center of the large box is the origin and that the camera is 11cm on the positive x-axis. The center of the left wall of foam core (the wall opposing the camera) will be -6cm on the x-axis. The far wall,
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(upper wall from above view) will be 6cm on the positive z-axis and the wall opposing that will be -6cm on the z-axis. As mentioned earlier all walls will be covered by 2.5cm of Styrofoam that will be used as a harness for all electrical equipment. The HOBO(1) will be positioned at the coordinate (-4.5cm, 3cm). The timing circuit for the two servos will be at the coordinate (6.6cm, -2cm). The PVC pipe that the flight string will go through will be at the coordinate (1cm, 0cm). The servos will be located at (10cm, -7.5cm) and (10cm, 7.5cm).
Testing:
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There will be multiple tests on each subsystem individually and then combined in final tests. The tests administered will be drop tests, whip tests, freeze tests, condensation tests, staircase tests, compass test, motor test, and camera test. The drop test will consist of dropping the balloon sat off of a balcony or second story to the ground below to test structure endurance both generally and for landing. For the whip test, a cord will be threaded through the balloon sat and then a team member will vigorously swing the satellite around on it, in order to emulate flight. This will test the integrity of the PVC pipe and opening in the balloon sat that are crucial to the satellite remaining on the balloon cord. A freeze test will be administered to the subsystems to check that all systems can work with the cold temperatures to be expected. Condensation tests will be done in accordance with the freeze tests to ensure that no condensation will prevent electronics from working, and to make sure that the camera has a clear opening to take pictures from. This will also be used to check the thermodynamics subsystem. For the staircase test, the balloon sat will be rolled down a staircase. This will test the structure of the satellite and simulate landing. The compass and motor tests will be run in order to test if the compass will receive accurate readings and the motor will work properly in rigorous conditions. This test will require spinning the satellite about a rope. The camera test will take place in order to check that the time intervals that the camera is taking pictures and compare it to the spinning velocity of the motors.
Safety: The safety of the team is a high concern, therefore every member will use such
precautions such as gloves and safety goggles. It will also be mandatory for each team member to be fully trained on any equipment they are using. When using equipment, there will always be more than one team member present to insure safety. During testing, such as whip testing and drop testing, team members will maintain a 5 meter distance from the satellite unless directly involved in the testing. When handling the dry ice used for freeze testing, proper gloves and cooler will be used. Most importantly, each team member is personally responsible to use common sense when building and testing to protect his/herself and the other team members.
Mass Budget: Item Mass (g) Remaining Mass (g)HOBO 30 820Canon A570IS Digital Camera
200 620
Heater Systems (2) 100 (each) 420Solar Panels (6) 4.54 (each) 392.76Servo Motor (2) 13 (each) 366.76Digital Compass 5 361.76Barometer 1 360.76Switches 5 (each) 345.76Structure Weight 104 241.76Micro Controller 5 236.76Reserve Battery 45 191.76
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Budget Management: ($300)
Item Price CompanyCamera Provided ProvidedHOBO Provided Provided2 GB Memory Card Provided ProvidedHeater Provided ProvidedBatteries Provided ProvidedFoam Core(140mm x 140mm x 10mm)
Provided Provided
Solar Panels (6) $2.65 (each)$15.90 (total)
Silicon Solar
Servo Motors (2) Donated ITLL ShopSwitches (3) $4.00 (each) Radio ShackDigital Compass $150.00 SparkFunBarometer $40.00 SparkFunStyrofoam RecycledTotal $236.80
Management and Cost Overview:- Schedule:
09/16 Proposal Due/ Conceptual Design Presentation Due09/21 Order Hardware/ ATP Appointment09/21 Team Meeting (TM)09/23 TM09/28 TM09/30 TM10/05 Design Document Rev. A/B Due10/05 Critical Design Presentation Due10/05 TM10/07 TM10/12 TM10/14 TM10/19 TM10/21 TM10/26 Pre-launch Inspection10/26 TM10/28 In Class Mission Simulation10/28 TM11/02 Design Document Rev C and LRR Slides Due11/02 TM11/04 TM11/05 Final Balloon Sat Weigh In and Turn In.11/06 Launch
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11/09 TM11/16 TM11/30 Final Presentations Due12/04 Design Document Rev D Due12/04 Design Expo12/07 Balloon Sat Hardware Turn In
Schedule will vary depending on how fast the manufacturing of the balloon sat goes however all due dates are definite and will be followed strictly.
Team Diagram
Ben Paul
Management (Cost, time,
weight)
Attitude determination and magnetic
compass Structure
Mechanical
Programming/HOBO
Organization of
Satellite
Bridget
Megan
Jamie
Shane
Taylor
Team Descriptions:Ben Azlein – Ben is from Thornton, Colorado. He did the International
Baccalaureatem(IB) program in high school, and designed and fabricated a functioning jet engine for his Personal Project during the program. He has been learning engineering related concepts and ideas even as far back as his Lego days. He has a fascination with structures and all of the concepts and ideas involved in building a spacecraft. He is enthusiastic about everything related to space (especially human spaceflight) and is motivated and willing to devote everything necessary to Team Space Jam. Contact him at (303)-718-9772, and you can find him in Aden Hall room 218.
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Team Managers
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Bridget Chase – Bridget is from Colorado Springs, Colorado. She took PLTW courses throughout high school and has also worked on several engineering projects. She has knowledge of electronics and creative ideas to make Space Jam’s balloon sat original and unique. She hopes to use her experience to help create a balloon sat that will perform to the standards of Team Space Jam. Contact her at (719)-351-4403, and you can find her in Aden Hall room 126.
Paul Guerrie – Paul is from Parker, Colorado. He has been interested in human space flight for a very long time. He also has an extensive hands-on background in many engineering projects based classes. He is ready to help manage, run and contribute to the team with a good leadership background and the motivation to make anything happen. Paul would be happy to answer any questions and is accessible at (303)-999-6338 or at 9002 Buckingham Hall, Boulder, Colorado, 80310.
Taylor King – Taylor, a soccer player and peer counselor, from Standley Lake High School in Westminster, Colorado. She is an Aerospace Engineering major at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Taylor joins Team Space Jam excited to gain experience and build a balloon satellite. Her phone number is (303)-916-8288, living on the second floor of Darley North, room 234, in Boulder, Colorado, 80310.
Shane Meikle – Hailing from Los Angeles, California, Shane is joining the team with his down to earth attitude, ready to get work done. Shane brings a background of teamwork from 14 years of soccer. He is ready to work and negotiate with his other team members to get the mission complete. He is able to answer any questions about the mission at (310)-773-1580. You can also find him in the basement of Baker Hall at 9097 Baker Hall, Boulder, CO 80310.
Megan Scheele – While a rookie at satellite building, Megan comes in from Westminster, Colorado with an IB diploma and an impressive background in building trebuchets, bottle rockets and impenetrable snow forts. A freshman in Aerospace Engineering, Megan looks to help propel Team Space Jam to the stars. Able to answer any questions about the team or project, she welcomes all calls at 303-895-8095. If written or face-to-face communication is easier, she can be found in room E134 at 9117 Andrews Hall, Boulder CO 80310
Jamie Usherwood – Jamie is originally from Springfield, Illinois. Jamie was an officer in Aviation Exploring Post 731 based out of the Springfield Airport. Jamie has also logged time flying as well as been introduced to certain mechanical components of aircraft at the Oshkosh Airventure Aviation Show. Jamie has prior knowledge in software programming and electrical components. He may be reached at (217)622.5445. Jamie’s dorm room and address are 221 at 9030 Cockerell Hall, Boulder CO 80310.
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