HacDC Spaceblimp

A collection of stuff about HacDC's near space initiatives, including the Hackerspaces In Space Contest entry (2010).

Documentation / Press

Spaceblimp-2

Flight date: 8/21/10

Time of liftoff: 10:47 (All times are GMT-5)

Time of touchdown: 11:49

Time of recovery: 12:20

Total flight time: 1:02 (62 minutes)

Liftoff to recovery time: 1:33 (93 minutes)

Touchdown to recovery time: 0:31 (31 minutes)

Weight of payload/chute: 1lb 13oz

Total cost of launch:

Airframe:

Balloon: 800g Kaymont/Totex latex weather balloon cost: $?

Fill: 180 cubic-feet Helium - cost: $90

Chute: Rocketman flat 18" - cost: $?

Capsule: Insulated lunch pail

Payload:

Canon model PowerShot SD300 running CHDK (Canon Hack Development Kit) intervalometer script - cost: $20

Canon Li battery cost: $3.25

Canon 2GB SD card: $6

Falcom (uBlox based) GPS receiver + Serantel Antenna module - cost $47

Radiometrix VHF Narrow Band 300mW transmitter - cost $38

Ultralife U9VL-X Lithium-Manganese Dioxide non-rechargable battery cost: $7

Flight computer - cost $? Atmel ATMega328P microprocessor based, toner transfer & hand soldered board, two TC74 I2C temperatue sensors, 24LC1025 I2C EEROM, FQP50N06 cut down MOSFET, software derived from WhereAVR open source APRS tracker (http://garydion.com/projects/whereavr/)

HacDC Spaceblimp Flickr Group Pool