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HacDC Spaceblimp 5: Difference between revisions

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Come join us for the launch, at ____.   
Come join us for the launch, at ____.   


Or follow along at home!  There are two radios on board the blimp that transmit out the GPS data.
Or follow along at home!   


The primary is tied to the GPS and transmits out to a network of amateur radio people who then pass the location information on to get mapped here:  [http://aprs.fi/?call=W3HAC-11  APRS.fi] and run through some custom software to a Twitter account which you can follow on your phone: [http://twitter.com/#!/DCSpaceblimp  DC Spaceblimp Primary Twitter Feed].  (Click the link in the Twitter to pull up a map!)
There are two radios on board the blimp that transmit out the GPS data:


The secondary radio is actually a modified cell phone, and will broadcast its data when in range of a cell tower.  You can follow that Twitter feed through [http://twitter.com/#!/SocietyofRobotz Society Of Robots Twitter Feed].
* The primary is tied to the GPS and transmits out to a network of amateur radio people who then pass the location information on to get mapped here:  [http://aprs.fi/?call=W3HAC-11  APRS.fi] and run through some custom software to a Twitter account which you can follow on your phone: [http://twitter.com/#!/DCSpaceblimp  DC Spaceblimp Primary Twitter Feed].  (Click the link in the Twitter to pull up a map!)
 
* The secondary radio is actually a modified cell phone, and will broadcast its data when in range of a cell tower.  You can follow that Twitter feed through [http://twitter.com/#!/SocietyofRobotz Society Of Robots Twitter Feed].


== Payload ==
== Payload ==

Revision as of 02:52, 8 July 2011

Spaceblimp-5 Planned Launch: July 9, 2011


Summary

HacDC Spaceblimp 5 is set up for launch on Saturday morning 10:00 AM.

This time we're going for altitude. By using a larger balloon, hopefully it will burst at a higher altitude, 120k feet predicted.

Come join us for the launch, at ____.

Or follow along at home!

There are two radios on board the blimp that transmit out the GPS data:

  • The primary is tied to the GPS and transmits out to a network of amateur radio people who then pass the location information on to get mapped here: APRS.fi and run through some custom software to a Twitter account which you can follow on your phone: DC Spaceblimp Primary Twitter Feed. (Click the link in the Twitter to pull up a map!)
  • The secondary radio is actually a modified cell phone, and will broadcast its data when in range of a cell tower. You can follow that Twitter feed through Society Of Robots Twitter Feed.

Payload

The payload contains a couple cameras:

  • a video camera (Canon Zi6)
  • a still camera (Canon Powershot A-480) running custom firmware to hopefully get better exposures from space

and a lot of instrumentation:

  • a geiger counter
  • 9 degree-of-freedom inertial measurement unit
  • high-speed (50 sample/sec) accelerometer
  • internal and external temperature sensors
  • humidity sensor
  • air pressure sensor
  • IR and visible light sensors
  • a solar panel, hooked up to measure the voltage

Launch Plans

Planned launch date: Saturday, July 9, 2011
Launch time: 10:00 AM, Launch should take less than an hour.
Launch Location:
Where: I-70/81 corridor between Edinburg, VA & Breezewood, PA
Coordination/Talk-in: 146.685 MHz simplex (this might change, please monitor Twitter (@HacDCSpaceblimp) and mailing list for updates.
Planned Altitude: 120,000 Feet
Planned Ascent Rate: 1,000 feet/minute
Planned Descent Rate: 1,000 feet/minute
Primary Beacon: Son-of-WhereAVR with ublox GPS. Yaesu VX-1 handi-talkie with 1 W Transmitter, call sign W3HAC-11 (map), Frequency 144.390 MHz
Secondary Beacon: GSM mobile phone modue, uBlox GPS
Payload: 9 DOF IMU, Geiger counter, temperature, pressure, humidity, and light sensors
HacDC Spaceblimp Project:
Main Page Press Page First Launch (Found) Second Launch (Successful)
Third Launch (Successful) Fourth Launch (Successful) Fifth Launch (3% short of goal) Sixth Launch (Successful) Seventh Launch (Successful)


HacDC Spaceblimp Team Contact Info:
[email protected]
Subscribe to the Spaceblimp email list