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.