Building a CanSat end - Day of the launch

Due to an extremely busy schedule, I apologize for the lack of posts. The launch took place at Dry Lucerne Lake and the entire experience was extremely interesting. Throughout the day, we had the privilege to watch a myriad of rockets being launched on the lakebed. Our CanSat was able to fulfilled the minimum requirements. It contained the following: GY80 IMU, open logger sd card reader, and arduino. We're very happy with our project and the experience. However, we weren't able to launch our CanSat due to complications with wind. All things said, I enjoyed the building experience and couldn't have asked for a better team.

Our CanSat (Dr. Pepper soda can)

Aluminum support created from left over scrap metal. Had to use hammers to bend it
to correct position. 

Building a CanSat part 4 - Forming a team / distribution of work

Because of the immense amount of work that is required to build the CanSat, the work is now being distributed to a selected number of people. I trust that my team of five will be able to accomplish the task at hand because the people I selected have experience with robotics and programming. I'm planning on assigning each team member a certain sensor or instrument to do research on. We will be catching up on progress through weekly meetings. A distribution of work is better than individual process.

Building a CanSat part 3 - Fitting the pieces

Most of the parts have already come through the mail already. Now comes the complicated procedure of what to do first. The next step would be to separately test out each individual part to make sure that the sensors and radios work. One of the issues is that the main sensor: the GY80 IMU had a failed transaction. The delay on the sensor will result in a slight delay in my progress. However, I will be spending the time testing out the APC220 radio while continue my research on other CanSat projects. Also need to find a soda can to build the satellite in. Looks like I will be drinking nothing but A&W Root Beer for the next couple of weeks in order to compensate with the number of times I'm probably going to mess up this project.

Building a CanSat part 2 - Buying the parts

Now that my proposal is approved, the next step is to buy the parts. The list of things that I have to buy ranges from a soda can, to a keychain camera to take still pictures upon descent.

(Some) of the parts I have to order:

- Arduino micro-processing board
- Open-Log SD logger (to record the data from instruments)
- SD Card
- GY80 IMU (inertial measurement unit)
- resistors
-APC220 radio

With a cost of over $100, every part counts. Even though I know what the CanSat requires, putting them together at the same time is another story. It's going to be trial and error from this point on.

Building a CanSat

I am part of the AIAA SPARC rocketry challenge where I have to build and launch a CanSat by the 10th of October. This is going to be both a challenging and exciting challenge. The primary mission that I have to accomplish is to build a CanSat that can record the following: Air temperature and Air pressure. The secondary mission involves developing a GPS system in order to track the satellite upon deploying. I have the proposal approved and now the next step is to build the CanSat. 

Weather Balloon launched!

The overall launch of the weather balloon did not go quite as planned but the process we took until the launch was successful. Here's a basic synopsis of what we accomplished. 

 At 12:35, we were working hard on the payload which included the following:

Parts of the Payload

-CubeSat prototype

-Marshmallows in a container (wanted to experiment with freeze drying)

-Hot packs, to maintain the temperature in the foam box

-Go-Pro

-GPS tracker

1:00 Launching the Weather Balloon

 Upon launching, the weather balloon, we discovered that the payload was too heavy and could not generate enough lift and failed upon launch. We tried again and it launched slightly. 

3:00 Finding the weather balloon

We found the weather balloon 10 miles off in the Peter's canyon trail where the payload was vandalized and everything was stolen except the GPS tracking device which was thrown a distance away from the foam box. 

Although it is disappointing that the payload was unable to be launched into the orbit we are still proud of the process it took to get to this point. Building the CubeSat was an incredible experience for me and we learned from our mistakes and hope launch another weather balloon in the future. 

Weather Balloon Launch, Building process

I want to give you a brief update on the upcoming weather balloon launch in my school. June 4th was the day of the weather balloon launch. I was given the responsibility to build a CubeSat payload for the weather balloon. Over the course of a month, I worked on it and I'm pleased to create a prototype that was launched four days ago. I learned so much during the process such as how to solder, program, use an Arduino, and datalog. I'm using the 3d printed chassis that I showed you during our last meet up which will protect the circuits. 

The CubeSat consists of two sensors which is the BMP180 and the LSM303. Both sensors are going to be used to detect a multitude of data such as: temperature, atmospheric pressure, acceleration, and magnetic field. These two sensors I decided to use because of the simplicity of the circuits. 

Attached below are some pictures of the process: 

 First had to calibrate the sensors and make sure that they are working

 Because I wanted to record the data, I decided to use a SD card shield with the arduino to record the information. The other alternative would be to create a ground station and receive live data from the sensors. I chose datalogging because it's easier to use.

 Had to brainstorm ideas on how to data log and played around with the accelerometer and the magnetometer of the LSM303

 In order to make the sensors compatible with the weather balloon flight, I had to solder some pins to a perf board and solder the sensors on the board itself. 

 Attached below the arduino is a battery pack. As you can see, the perf board fit pretty well with the arduino. 

Weighing the CubeSat for the weather balloon payload

This is where I soldered the circuit board. 

Here is a pic of the CubeSat prototype. As you can see, the sensor sticking out is the BMP180. It is sticking out because the CubeSat will be placed within an insulated foam box. In order to get accurate readings, the BMP180 has to be exposed to air. As a result, I will have to drill a hole in the foam box and expose the sensor in the open. 

Weather Balloon, Testing different sensors

We have made tons of progress since the last blog post. We attended the AIAA ASAT Space conference in which we gained lots of great insight and other CubeSat projects. In regards to the weather balloon, the payload is going to consist of a camera, gps tracking device, a BMP180 and a LSM303. The BMP180 is a barometer and thermometer while the LSM303 is a triple-axis accelerometer. These are basically small sensors that have to be connected to an arduino, raspberry pi, or some sort of micro controller. The sensors will be placed in a foam box due to the box's affordability and insulation. Overall, the progress has been slow and steady.

Crowd funding

Building a CubeSats cost a lot of money. A basic CubeSat kit costs around $8,000 and my basic allowance does not have this type of money lying around. As a result, the club is currently looking towards different crowd funding sites in hopes of raising some money so we can afford certain electronic components and a membership to a DIY workshop. Crowd funding is a great way to raise money for a good cause or if you want to start a project of any sort. Some sites include : https://www.kickstarter.com/ and https://www.indiegogo.com/, both are fundraising sites that have helped numerous amounts of people accomplish goals that range from start up companies to raising money for small projects.

Weather Balloon update

Checked in with the engineering club adviser for the possibility of using a CubeSat as a payload for the weather balloon launch. He accepts but it's up to me to take initiative and organize the project. However, There are many factors that come into play when it comes to using a CubeSat as a payload. Some includes the material for the chassis, the overall cost, experience, and mission idea. There will most likely be a GPS tracking device and camera on the CubeSat but I believe that there are many more sensors that we can incorporate. Due to the lack of materials and tools the team has, I'm planning on possibly buying a membership to Urban Workshops in order to gain access to their tools. In addition, I'm currently having a chassis being 3D printed with a polycarbonate filament because of the material's high temperature and UV resistance. If all goes well, the payload for the weather balloon will be carrying a 3D printed CubeSat which would be both a great learning experience and a major milestone.

Weather Balloon Launch

The Beckman Engineering club is planning on building and launching a weather balloon. I recommended the adviser to possibly use a CubeSat as a payload and he says that it is possible. Having a CubeSat as the payload for the weather balloon will be a major step and a huge accomplishment for both me and the club. However, there much planning and preparation and so little time because the launch will start in roughly 2 months. Having a 3d printed chassis has helped the club greatly because it allowed me to experiment different instruments that is within the specifications in terms of size.

Progress Report

Seeing as it has been a while since the last post, I want to give a brief update. I have been busy juggling both school and CubeSat research. Four days ago, I went to a space apps hackathon where I was coding for 32 hours straight. Being as this was my first hackathon, it was a unique experience and I met many great people. One of those included Don Black, an amazing individual who wants to create CubeSat kits for high school use. I reached out to him and he's inviting me to help out. He gave me a great deal of advice which is going to greatly benefit the club. It was a privilege to meet him.