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HacDC Spaceblimp 5

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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 radio is tied to the GPS and transmits out to a network of amateur radio enthusiasts who then pass the location information on to get mapped here: APRS.fi. We also are running some custom software that passes this data on to a Twitter account (once per minute!) 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 GSM cell phone module, and will broadcast its data when in range of a cell tower. It will be broadcasting both GPS data for tracking, and a lot of the sensor data for science. 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 IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit on Wikipedia)
  • 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]
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