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.