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![300 px](_sb5_launch_still.jpg "300 px") ![530
px](_sb3_IMG_6899_small.jpg "530 px")
A collection of stuff about HacDC's near space initiatives, including
the *Hackerspaces In Space* Contest entry (2010).
# Current Status
Project Spaceblimp is back! Spaceblimp has been a multi-discipline club
effort to build, launch, track, and recover a [High-altitude
Balloon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-altitude_balloon). So far
HacDC has launched [6 Spaceblimps](Template:Spaceblimp "wikilink"), with
[Spaceblimp 5](HacDC_Spaceblimp_5 "wikilink") reaching a maximum
altitude of 118,533 ft and [Spaceblimp 6](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6 "wikilink")
reaching 104,023 ft on 15 October 2016. The next iteration is expected
in Spring 2018.
# Come be involved in [Spaceblimp 6](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6 "wikilink")
Since Global Space Balloon Challenge 2016 (GSBC) just ended, there is no
better time than now to start planning for participation in, but not
limited to, the GSBC 2017 challenge. HacDC has had some preliminary
discussions with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) regarding some of
their STEM initiatives which align well with our Spaceblimp project.
This presents a great opportunity for HacDC to collaborate with the NRL
and local area schools to assist students in preparing for the next GSBC
or other balloon events. Besides helping young minds grow, we could also
expand in to other STEAM initiatives and work side-by-side with
distinguished researchers and scientists from the NRL.
Supplies and equipment are not an issue. Hands on help is. We need
embedded hardware, software, FPGA, and RF engineers, licensed amateur
radio operators, project developers, crafts people, decorators,
coordinators, outreach specialists and educators. However, no one with
helping hands or a willingness to learn will be turned away.
# History of the HacDC Spaceblimp Project
- On Aug 7, 2010, we launched our first balloon: [HacDC Spaceblimp
1](HacDC_Spaceblimp_1 "wikilink"). Its epic journey began well enough,
but the antenna came loose somewhere around 60,000 ft and we never
heard from it again. Until three months later, when a farmer found it
in her field, called up a friend (who happened to be an engineer) and
it came back home. The pictures are fantastic, but the telemetry data
was lost -- it overwrote itself many times over before the batteries
finally gave up.
<!-- -->
- Following (what we thought was) the loss of Spaceblimp-1, we scrambled
and launched [HacDC Spaceblimp 2](HacDC_Spaceblimp_2 "wikilink") on
Aug 21. It went flawlessly -- fast, light, and with good radio contact
the whole way through. It may be the third fastest-ascending amateur
radio balloon. We were disqualified from the Hackerspaces in Space
competition because we went over budget, but they said we would have
come in fourth if not. Sigh. But again, it was an inspiring success.
<!-- -->
- [HacDC Spaceblimp 3](HacDC_Spaceblimp_3 "wikilink") was successfully
launched and retrieved on 13 Nov 2010 with a much more involved
payload than previous versions. More cameras, HD video, more radios,
an accelerometer, geiger counter, pressure sensor. Weight and price
weren't constraints this time.
<!-- -->
- [HacDC Spaceblimp 4](HacDC_Spaceblimp_4 "wikilink") set the HacDC
altitude record, topping out at 103,764 ft! This flight got fantastic
video -- make sure to check out the two youtube links.
<!-- -->
- Insatiable and unstoppable, the HacDC team puts up [HacDC Spaceblimp
5](HacDC_Spaceblimp_5 "wikilink") on July 9, 2011. We bought a
yet-bigger balloon to try to get higher, and so: 118,533 ft!
<!-- -->
- [HacDC Spaceblimp 6](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6 "wikilink") was launched in
October 2016, reaching 104,023 ft with HD video, instrumentation and
various GPS radio trackers. It was the first Spaceblimp that captured
video of its own balloon and parachute. It was recovered in record
time just 20 minutes after landing despite failure of its primary
radio transmitter (the backup worked!) and the video is now on
YouTube.
<!-- -->
- [HacDC Spaceblimp 7](HacDC_Spaceblimp_7 "wikilink") is planned for
late March 2018 with various GoPro HD cameras, a new TrackSoar
GPS/Radio tracker, three Raspberry Pi Zeros and a gyroscopic
stabilizer.
<!-- -->
- **If you want to get involved or learn more or contribute to the
program...[Subscribe to the Spaceblimp email
list](http://hacdc.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceblimp)**
# Related Links
- [HacDC Spaceblimp Flickr
Group](http://www.flickr.com/groups/spaceblimp/)
- [All HacDC Spaceblimp photos (hosted on ITechGeek's
Flickr)](https://www.flickr.com/photos/itechgeek/collections/72157627971098680/)
GPS visualizations of balloon trajectory from the Flickr Group (made
with GPS Visualizer <http://www.gpsvisualizer.com/>):
[Google Earth GPS trajectory
visualization](http://www.flickr.com/photos/79273063@N00/4946912327/)
and [Google Maps GPS trajectory
visualization](http://www.flickr.com/photos/79273063@N00/4947501800/)
<noinclude> </noinclude>

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Launched: Aug 7, 2010
Recovered: Oct 20, 2010
What a long, strange trip it's been!
[aprs.fi Flight
Map](http://aprs.fi/?call=w3hac-11&dt=1281139200&mt=roadmap&z=11&timerange=3600),
which shows our telemetry just up until the antenna broke (and the GPS
conked out). It was lost in a tree for three months within a mile of
where we though it was due to land. (At least our predictions are good.)
And the [photos](http://ofdc.org/sb/) made it out just fine. Hooray!
List some of your favorites here:
- [1](http://ofdc.org/sb/IMG_5677.JPG).

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## Flight Summary
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: \$320
## Airframe & Rigging
Balloon: 800g Kaymont/Totex latex weather balloon cost: \$69
Parachute Cord: 250-lb test Dacron line
Balloon Cord: 50-lb test Dacron line
Fill: 190 cubic-feet Helium - cost: \$95 (~10# nozzle lift, gas @
\$0.50/Cu-ft)
Chute: Rocketchutes flat 24" - cost: \$9
Capsule: Insulated lunch pail (free, valued at ~\$7)
## 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/Terminal Node Controller (TNC) - cost \$19
[HacDC Spaceblimp Flickr Group
Pool](http://www.flickr.com/groups/spaceblimp/pool/with/4922202931/)
[aprs.fi Flight
Map](http://aprs.fi/?call=w3hac-11&dt=1282348800&mt=roadmap&z=11&timerange=3600)
## Some details on the avionics
Our balloon carried a minimalist avionics package consisting of a custom
built APRS tracker and a Canon PowerShot SD300 digital camera.
The camera is configured to take pictures every 20 seconds using CHDK
(http://chdk.wikia.com/wiki/CHDK) and one of the stock intervalometer
scripts. It is powered by its own rechargeable lithium battery and
operates independently of the tracker.
The tracker is based around an atmega328p AVR microcontroller, running
code derived from an open source AVR based APRS tracker called the
WhereAVR (http://garydion.com/projects/whereavr/). By updating the sine
wave generation code to use filtered 7-bit pulse width modulation in
place of the 4-bit resistor network, we were able to improve tone
quality with a reduced part count. A few additional components were
added, including an I2C eeprom for local backup of flight data, external
and internal I2C temperature sensors, and a cutdown MOSFET for switching
power to a short strip of nichrome wire coiled around the balloon line
(the cutdown system was not used in our final flight because we were
apprehensive about the complications it added to the balloon rigging).
To keep things light, compact, and simple, we designed a surface mount
circuit board to integrate all of the trackers components with a Falcom
FSA03 GPS module and a 300mW Radiometrix HX-1 144.39 MHz transmitter.
The board was fabricated using the toner transfer method and hand
soldered.
For an antenna we used the common 300 ohm twinlead j-pole design
(http://www.qsl.net/wb3gck/jpole.htm), tuned as close as possible for
use on our frequency (144.39 MHz) and fed with a short length of 50 ohm
coax cable for routing/strain relief.
The tracker is powered by a single lithium 9v battery, and regulated
down to 5v and 3.3v by linear regulators on the board. The typically
undesirable loss of power to heat with these regulators is useful in
this case for warming the electronics in the extreme cold temperatures
encountered during the flight.
Each chase vehicle had a radio tuned to 146.415 for simplex
communication between the vehicles, and another radio tuned to 144.390
for receiving packets from the balloon. For packet decoding we used
radios with built in TNCs or laptops with external modems/soundcard
modems and TNC software (Soundmodem and Xastir for Linux, AGWPE and
UI-View for Windows).
## Data
The onboard data recorder from SB2 returned: [Media:
blimp2_eeprom_log.txt](Media:_blimp2_eeprom_log.txt "wikilink")

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If you want to get involved or learn more or contribute to the program...
[Subscribe to the Spaceblimp email
list](http://hacdc.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceblimp)
## Photos
<figure>
<img src="_SB3_teaser_image.jpg" title="_SB3_teaser_image.jpg" />
<figcaption>_SB3_teaser_image.jpg</figcaption>
</figure>
Spaceblimp 3 went up with two still cameras and a non-functioning video
camera. There are tons of neat pics from both. These links get you into
the series right before liftoff.
- [Camera one:
liftoff](http://gallery.jbwa.net/SpaceBlimp/SB3/Camera1/?g2_page=11)
- [Camera two:
liftoff](http://gallery.jbwa.net/SpaceBlimp/SB3/Camera2/?g2_page=6)
These are about as far out as we got before the balloon popped:
- [Camera one:
space!](http://gallery.jbwa.net/SpaceBlimp/SB3/Camera1/?g2_page=30)
- [Camera two:
space!](http://gallery.jbwa.net/SpaceBlimp/SB3/Camera2/?g2_page=38)
And then, recovery:
- [Camera two: land
again](http://gallery.jbwa.net/SpaceBlimp/SB3/Camera2/?g2_page=63)
## The Dataz! (Telemetry)
- Accelerometer data. Unfortunately, it looks like there was a bug in
the code and the second half of the data overwrote the first. Anyway,
here it is. It's 100 samples per second, start time unknown, but it
looks like it captures the pop, some freefall, and the landing.
[Media:AccelerometerDumpfile 2010-11-13
18-24-41.csv.gz](Media:AccelerometerDumpfile_2010-11-13_18-24-41.csv.gz "wikilink")
## Launch Details
**PLEASE NOTE - NEW DATE!**
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th style="text-align: right;"><p>Logistics planning and radio check
meet:</p></th>
<th><p>Monday Nov 8, 7:00 PM at HacDC</p></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Planned launch date:</p></td>
<td><p>Saturday, November 13, 2010 (Rain date November 14).</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Launch time:</p></td>
<td><p>9:00 AM, Launch should take less than an hour.</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;" data-valign="top"><p>Launch
Location:</p></td>
<td><dl>
<dt></dt>
<dd>
Time: arrive at 9:00 A.M. (please be on time!)
</dd>
<dd>
Where: Clear Spring Public Library
</dd>
<dd>
Address: 12624 Broadfording Road, Clear Spring, MD 21722-1361
</dd>
<dd>
Lat/Long: 39.65664, -77.93637
</dd>
</dl>
<dl>
<dt></dt>
<dd>
North on I-270
</dd>
<dd>
Exit 32 to merge onto I-70W
</dd>
<dd>
Exit 18 to merge onto MD-68W
</dd>
<dd>
Left at US-40W/National Pike
</dd>
<dd>
3rd right onto Broadfording RD
</dd>
<dd>
Library is on left
</dd>
</dl></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Coordination/Talk-in:</p></td>
<td><p>146.415 MHz simplex</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Planned Altitude:</p></td>
<td><p>92,000 feet</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Planned Ascent Rate:</p></td>
<td><p>1,000 ft/min</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Primary Beacon:</p></td>
<td><p>Tiny Track 4 with 0.5 W transmitter on 144.390 MHz, call sign
W3HAC-11 (<a href="http://aprs.fi/?call=W3HAC-11">map</a>). $3 GPS
module</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Secondary Beacon:</p></td>
<td><p>Son-of-WhereAVR with ublox GPS. Yaesu VX-1 handi-talkie with 1 W
Transmitter, call sign W3HAC-12 (<a
href="http://aprs.fi/?call=W3HAC-12">map</a>), Frequency
445.15MHz</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Other sensors:</p></td>
<td><p>Recording accelerometer, air pressure based altimeter, cosmic ray
counter</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
## Help Wanted:
If you spot something you can handle or wish to learn about, we'd love
to have your help. (Seriously, meeting more people like <u>you</u> is
major goal of HacDC.)
- Blog about upcoming flight
- Document [HacDC Spaceblimp 1](HacDC_Spaceblimp_1 "wikilink") on wiki
- Build primary & secondary beacon antenna
- Altimeter selection & purchase
- Purchase 32 GB SDHC memory card for video
- Build battery pack for video
- Make weatherproof labels/tags for capsule recovery (laminate, 3d
print, laser cut, etc.)
- Work on CHDK scripts for still cameras
- Build capsule/rigging/chute
- Vacuum test Geiger counter
- New software for additional sensors (add small μC?)
### Contact Info:
If you would like to help, contact spaceblimp@hacdc.org.

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Spaceblimp-4 sucessfully launched and retrieved: April 10, 2011 ![500
px](_sb4_IMG_7739_small.JPG "500 px")
## Summary
We launched from Breezewood Elementary School??? at 1:30 pm, the balloon
popped at 2:41 pm at 103,764 ft, and touched back down at 3:09 pm.
Again, we were exceptionally lucky with the recovery and were able to
drive up to within 200 ft of the package.
The "package" contains two GPS units connected to radio modems that
transmit the balloon's location every 30s, various instruments, and
still and video cameras. It's all enclosed in super-space-age,
soft-sided insulated lunchboxes and secured to pegboard, cushioned for
landing with pink insulation foam.
![300 px](_sb4_path.png "300 px")
<img src="_sb4_the_package.jpg" title="_sb4_the_package.jpg" width="430"
alt="_sb4_the_package.jpg" />
## Video
This time, in addition to running a still camera, we also put up a HD
video camera running 720p at 60 frames/sec. The results are fantastic!
- [SB4 at apex on youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Cz4s8potWE)
about 80 seconds before the balloon popped.
Notice how quickly it stabilized as the chute opened. Don't be deceived,
though, it got up to 136 mph within the first minute of fall -- there's
just not much chute drag in space.
- [SB4 launch on youtube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pwT_LmqpgCc).
Skipping hours of preparation and 20 minutes filling up the balloon,
going straight to the good stuff...
Why no movies in-between? The clouds were very heavy on launch day, and
most of the footage is white-out. Something failed in the video camera a
few minutes after popping too, so there's no re-entry video.
Oh yeah, and for fun all of the raw video is posted up on projects in
/home/spaceblimp4, and here is the script I used to make the
youtube-compatible videos: [Media:
sb4_editingMovieForYoutube.txt](Media:_sb4_editingMovieForYoutube.txt "wikilink")
## Data
### On-board Logging
The on-board datalogger keeps records of interior/exterior temperature
and GPS data.
[Media: SB-4_flight_log.gz](Media:_SB-4_flight_log.gz "wikilink") (and
here's the code in R that generates the above images, and some PDFs to
boot: [Media:
spaceblimp4_analysis.gz](Media:_spaceblimp4_analysis.gz "wikilink"))
<img src="_sb4_altitude_time.png" title="_sb4_altitude_time.png"
width="300" alt="_sb4_altitude_time.png" />
<img src="_sb4_gpsHeading_time.png" title="_sb4_gpsHeading_time.png"
width="300" alt="_sb4_gpsHeading_time.png" />
<img src="_sb4_location.png" title="_sb4_location.png" width="300"
alt="_sb4_location.png" /> <img src="_sb4_riseSpeed_altitude.png"
title="_sb4_riseSpeed_altitude.png" width="300"
alt="_sb4_riseSpeed_altitude.png" />
<img src="_sb4_riseSpeed_histogram.png"
title="_sb4_riseSpeed_histogram.png" width="300"
alt="_sb4_riseSpeed_histogram.png" />
<img src="_sb4_riseSpeed_time.png" title="_sb4_riseSpeed_time.png"
width="300" alt="_sb4_riseSpeed_time.png" />
<img src="_sb4_temp_altitude.png" title="_sb4_temp_altitude.png"
width="300" alt="_sb4_temp_altitude.png" />
<img src="_sb4_temp_time.png" title="_sb4_temp_time.png" width="300"
alt="_sb4_temp_time.png" /> <img src="_sb4_windspeed_altitude.png"
title="_sb4_windspeed_altitude.png" width="300"
alt="_sb4_windspeed_altitude.png" />
<img src="_sb4_windspeed_time.png" title="_sb4_windspeed_time.png"
width="300" alt="_sb4_windspeed_time.png" />
### Accelerometer
The accelerometer package flown was the same as last time, with the
exception of having half the memory, so there are 50 observations per
second. The data are 0-255, with (roughly) 127 being no acceleration. If
you graph it, you can clearly see liftoff, popping, and landing. Until
we get some time for analysis, the rest is left up to you:
<figure>
<img src="_sb4_accelerometer.png" title="_sb4_accelerometer.png"
width="300" />
<figcaption>_sb4_accelerometer.png</figcaption>
</figure>
[Accelerometer CSV raw
data](http://www.postero.us/spaceblimp4_accelerometer.csv.gz) Here's
some python code to get you started with the accelerometer data: [Media:
analyseAccelerometer.py](Media:_analyseAccelerometer.py "wikilink").
(Requires SciPy for plotting.)
## Launch Plans (Historic)
<table>
<thead>
<tr class="header">
<th style="text-align: right;"><p>Planned launch date:</p></th>
<th><p>Sunday, April 10, 2011</p></th>
</tr>
</thead>
<tbody>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Launch time:</p></td>
<td><p>10:00 AM, Launch should take less than an hour.</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td style="text-align: right;" data-valign="top"><p>Launch
Location:</p></td>
<td><dl>
<dt></dt>
<dd>
Where: Breezewood Elementary School???
</dd>
<dd>
Address: 133 North Main Street, Breezewood PA 15533-8142
</dd>
<dd>
Lat/Long: 39.9970,-78.2440
</dd>
</dl></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Coordination/Talk-in:</p></td>
<td><p>146.685 MHz simplex</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Planned Altitude:</p></td>
<td><p>100,000 feet</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Planned Ascent Rate:</p></td>
<td><p>1,300 ft/min</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Planned Descent Rate:</p></td>
<td><p>1,000 ft/min</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Primary Beacon:</p></td>
<td><p>Tiny Track 4 with 0.5 W transmitter on 144.390 MHz, call sign
W3HAC-11 (<a href="http://aprs.fi/?call=W3HAC-11">map</a>). $3 GPS
module</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="even">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Secondary Beacon:</p></td>
<td><p>Son-of-WhereAVR with ublox GPS. Yaesu VX-1 handi-talkie with 1 W
Transmitter, call sign W3HAC-12 (<a
href="http://aprs.fi/?call=W3HAC-12">map</a>), Frequency 432.225
MHz</p></td>
</tr>
<tr class="odd">
<td style="text-align: right;"><p>Payload:</p></td>
<td><p>Still camera, HD video camera, Geiger counter to measure cosmic
rays, a nine degree of freedom Inertial Measurement Unit, accelerometer,
pressure, light and temperature sensors.</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
The balloon is a 2000g Kaymont/Totex with 291 cubic feet of helium. The
total weight of the capsule is about five pounds.

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<figure>
<img src="_sb5_IMG_9220.JPG" title="500 px" />
<figcaption>500 px</figcaption>
</figure>
Spaceblimp-5 Launched: July 9, 2011
## Summary
This time we were going for altitude, and we got it! The max recorded
altitude was 118,533 ft! (Getting us the 16th highest altitude record on
[ARHAB.org](http://arhab.org/) !)
The launch site was: Strasburg VA, in a open area near the town on Rt
11, near the I-81. Lat: 38.9968 N Lon: 78.3508W
![320 px](_sb5_launch_still.jpg "320 px") ![500
px](_sb5_track.jpg "500 px")
The path the balloon took was pretty strange, with the wind shifting
between ascent and descent, and so we had a lot more driving to do than
usual. The primary GPS/radio worked perfectly, and we got super-lucky
with the recovery, picking up the package ~15 minutes after it hit the
ground. The video camera overheated and failed before launch (booo!) and
we're still working on the instrument data, but all signs point to some
new and interesting results at the highest altitude we've ever run.
What challenges are left for the Spaceblimp project? Get involved:
subscribe to [the Spaceblimp mailing
list](http://hacdc.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceblimp) and help us figure
it out!
Visiting from another planet? [Here's more about
us](http://www.hacdc.org/about).
Want to help us do more awesome stuff? [Make a tax deductible donation
to our .org!](http://www.hacdc.org/donate)
## Pictures and Video
Photos have been uploaded to
<http://www.flickr.com/photos/itechgeek/sets/72157627058450849/>.
## Data
### Accelerometer
For now, here is the raw accelerometer data: [Media:
spaceblimp5_accelerometer.csv.gz](Media:_spaceblimp5_accelerometer.csv.gz "wikilink")
Analysis to come in the next few days....
### Flight Tracker
## Launch Plans
| Planned launch date: | Saturday, July 9, 2011 |
|----------------------:|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Launch time: | 10:00 AM, Launch should take less than an hour. |
| Launch Location: | Strasburg, VA |
| 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](http://aprs.fi/?call=W3HAC-11)), Frequency 144.390 MHz |
| Secondary Beacon: | GSM mobile phone modue, uBlox GPS |
| Payload: | 9 DOF IMU, Geiger counter, temperature, pressure, humidity, and light sensors |
## Payload
### Radios
There were two radios on board the blimp that transmitted out the GPS
data:
- The primary radio was tied to the GPS and transmitted out to a network
of amateur radio enthusiasts who then passed the location information
on to get mapped here: [APRS.fi](http://aprs.fi/?call=W3HAC-11). We
also ran some custom software that passes this data on to a Twitter
account (once per minute!) which you could follow on your phone: [DC
Spaceblimp Primary Twitter Feed](http://twitter.com/#!/DCSpaceblimp).
(Click the link in the Twitter to pull up a map!)
<!-- -->
- The secondary radio was actually a GSM cell phone module, and
broadcasted its data when in range of a cell tower. It broadcasted
both GPS data for tracking, and a lot of the sensor data for science.
It also twittered through [Society Of Robots Twitter
Feed](http://twitter.com/#!/SocietyofRobotz).
### Cameras
The payload contains a couple cameras:
- a video camera (Canon Zi6)
- a still camera (Canon Powershot A-480) running custom firmware to get
better exposures from space
### Instrumentation
and a lot of instrumentation:
- a geiger counter
- 9 degree-of-freedom IMU ([Inertial Measurement Unit on
Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inertial_measurement_unit))
- 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

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<figure>
<img src="_Sb6_peak.jpg" title="_Sb6_peak.jpg" width="800" />
<figcaption>_Sb6_peak.jpg</figcaption>
</figure>
# Flight Summary
<figure>
<img src="_Sb6_flight_path.jpg" title="Image: Sb6_flight_path.jpg" />
<figcaption>Image: Sb6_flight_path.jpg</figcaption>
</figure>
| Date of launch: | Saturday, October 15, 2016 |
|------------------------------:|----------------------------------------------|
| Time of launch: | 10:55 |
| Time of landing: | 13:09 |
| Time of recovery: | 13:28 |
| Flight duration: | 2:14:00 |
| Peak recorded altitude: | 104,023ft, (31706.2m) |
| Location of launch: | Strasburg VA, (38 59'48.77"N 78 21'03.27"W) |
| Location of landing: | Amissville VA, (38 40'51.56"N 77 55'58.29"W) |
| Distance (launch to landing): | 31.36 mi, (50.47 km) |
| Balloon type: | 1500 g Kaymont |
| Payload weight: | 2200 g |
| Balloon lift: | 3300 g |
| Net lift: | 1100 g |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Upward Facing Camera
This flight's payload featured an upward facing camera to gain a better
understanding of what goes on with the balloon, rigging, and parachute
during the flight.
##### Balloon Expansion
The balloon's diameter at the burst altitude is 3.43 times its diameter
at the launch altitude. Assuming the balloon is a sphere with a 1 meter
radius at launch, its starting volume is 4.19 m3. This means the
balloon's volume at burst is 169.03 m3, an expansion to 40.34 times the
launch volume.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
<figure>
<img src="_Sb6_balloon_size_comparison.jpg"
title="_Sb6_balloon_size_comparison.jpg" width="720" />
<figcaption>_Sb6_balloon_size_comparison.jpg</figcaption>
</figure>
##### Balloon Burst
------------------------------------------------------------------------
<figure>
<img src="_Sb6_burst.gif" title="Image: Sb6_burst.gif" />
<figcaption>Image: Sb6_burst.gif</figcaption>
</figure>
# Current Mission
Since [Global Space Balloon Challenge 2016
(GSBC)](https://www.balloonchallenge.org) just ended, there is no better
time than now to start
[planning](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects "wikilink") for participation in,
but not limited to, the GSBC 2017 challenge. HacDC has had some
preliminary discussions with the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
regarding some of their STEM initiatives which align well with our
Spaceblimp project. This presents a great opportunity for HacDC to
collaborate with the NRL and local area schools to assist students in
preparing for the next GSBC or other balloon events. Besides helping
young minds grow, we could also expand in to other STEAM initiatives and
work side-by-side with distinguished researchers and scientists from the
NRL.
Supplies and equipment are not an issue. Hands on help is. We need
embedded hardware, software, FPGA, and RF engineers, licensed amateur
radio operators, project developers, crafts people, decorators,
coordinators, outreach specialists and educators. However, no one with
helping hands or a willingness to learn will be turned away.
# [Current Projects](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects "wikilink")
<noinclude> </noinclude>

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# Spaceblimp 6 Links
- [<span style="font-size: larger;">Spaceblimp 6
Inventory</span>](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Inventory "wikilink")
- [Google Sheet of all Components
(Old)](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pbtn7ECg-q11PLaRodAbiNXFW9PaxQSlg8VCRAd21Sg/edit?usp=sharing)
- [Tasks Remaining, Packing List and Pre-Flight
Checklists](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1BQv9Xoai6OZGo2BUsdv4KgaQJMtmi-Nc9BOMlU3g7ck/edit#gid=305391310)
- [High Altitude Balloon
Tutorial](http://www.societyofrobots.com/space_balloon_index.shtml)
- [UK High Altitude Society](https://ukhas.org.uk/start)
- [Launch-1 Requirements
Document](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EGhUQox9DJGGkCbgrxbmYndZsCYtG07EMc2XpRJeM9E/edit?usp=sharing)
- [GSBC Regulations
Overview](http://community.balloonchallenge.org/t/regulations-overview-including-contacting-the-us-faa/676)
- [Intro to ballooning](http://www.daveakerman.com/?p=1732)

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If you want to get involved or learn more or contribute to the program...
[Subscribe to the Spaceblimp email
list](http://hacdc.org/mailman/listinfo/spaceblimp)

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# Inventory
Here is an active inventory of Spaceblimp equipment & parts.
## Batteries
AA lithium energizer batteries 0.525oz each
## Cameras
canon powershot a-530 (no battery) 6oz canon powershot a-480 (no
battery) 4.95oz canon powershot sd300 (with battery) 5.2oz gopro hero 2
3.5oz (2.4oz without battery) Hobbyking wingcam 1.1oz Samsung Galaxy S4
4.4oz (2.9 without battery) and without case
## Communications
tinytrak4 with enclosure, battery, and antenna 9.7oz (1.7oz antenna)
WhereAVR tracker 16.09oz TeensyTracker with GPS, batteries, and antenna
5.1oz (1.7oz antenna)
## Parachutes
smallest parachute with lines (blue, orange with yellow rigging line)
5.9oz small parachute with lines 12.9oz larger parachute without lines
38.4oz dual parachute with lines 2.1oz
## Payload enclosures
large single lunchbox (#1) 14.5oz small single lunchbox (#2) 12.7oz
large double lunchbox (#3) 15.4oz
## Other
4.6oz and 2.8oz radar reflectors 0.1oz microSD cards and support

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- [Budget/Funding/Fundraising](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Funding "wikilink")
- [Communications](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Communications "wikilink")
- [Education &
Outreach](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Education_Outreach "wikilink")
- [FAA/FCC
compliance](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Compliance "wikilink")
- [Flight Prediction &
Tracking](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Flight_Prediction "wikilink")
- [Launch team](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Launch_team "wikilink")
- [Power Point Tracking](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Power "wikilink")
- [Project Coordination &
Facilitation](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Coordination "wikilink")
- [Recovery team (chase
team)](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Recovery_team_(chase_team) "wikilink")
- [Safety](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Safety "wikilink")
- [Sensor
Systems](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Sensor_Systems "wikilink")
- [Stabilization](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Stabilization "wikilink")
- [Structural
Design](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Structural_Design "wikilink")
- [System Testing and
Integration](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/System_Testing_and_Integration "wikilink")
- [HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Science_Payload:_Radiation & FLASH
memory](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Science_Payload:_Radiation_&_FLASH_memory "wikilink")

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# About
The communications project will deliver a balloon payload that allows
receipt of [telemetry](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Telemetry) and
other payload data as well allow command of the balloon systems as
needed. Communications are commonly delivered over [Amateur
Radio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio) frequencies by
licensed operators. Networks like
[APRS](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Automatic_Packet_Reporting_System)
are favored for some balloon-related communication.
These team members will also be responsible for ensuring one or more
suitable ground stations are in place to reliably receive data from the
communications systems. This team is encouraged to partner with the
[HacDC Amateur Radio club](http://www.w3hac.org) and [other amateur
radio organizations](http://www.arrl.org/find-a-club) and enthusiasts.
This team will also facilitate logistical communications primarily for
the launch and recovery teams.
# Team Members
- Derk
- [Ethan Waldo](User:Ewaldo "wikilink") (licensed for Amateur Radio)
- Martin (licensed for Amateur Radio)
- Nancy Wolfson
# Possible Balloon Communications
- Primary VHF APRS tracker - sends regular APRS beacons with GPS and
limited telemetry - use national 144.390 MHz network
- Secondary UHF APRS tracker - sends regular APRS beacons with GPS and
limited telemetry - use a frequency to be determined at the launch
site
- 13 cm Broadband Downlink - send realtime video or broadband data
- uhf/vhf cross-band repeater - allow hams to communicate long distance
with handy-talkies
- 433 MHz ISM band low data rate telemetry
# Possible Chase Team Communications
- Cell phone WiFi for APRS.fi information
- VHF and UHF APRS receiver, possibly tracking, text and digitpeating
for off-grid operations
- Primary Voice - cell phone
- Secondary Voice - VHF and UHF mobile radios in conjunction with
repeaters for off-grid operations operations
# Possible Ground Station Communications
- 13 cm broadband receiver/recorder with 90 cm dish
- UHF/VHF receiver/recorder for SSTV
- 433 MHz data receiver/recorder with yagi
- Primary Voice - cell phone
- Secondary Voice - VHF and UHF mobile radios in conjunction with
repeaters for off-grid operations operations
# Teensy All-in-one
- [APRS Tracker using Teensy
3.1](https://forum.pjrc.com/threads/24998-APRS-Tracker-using-Teensy-3-1)
- [Teensy 3.2](https://www.pjrc.com/store/teensy32.html)
- [TinyTracker GPS/GSM/CAN for Teensy
3.1/3.2](https://www.tindie.com/products/Fusion/tinytracker-gpsgsmcan-for-teensy-3132/)
- [10DOF MPU9250+MS5637 sensor addon for
Teensy](https://www.tindie.com/products/Fusion/10dof-mpu9250ms5637-sensor-addon-for-teensy/)
- [SPI Flash Memory Add-ons for Teensy
3.X](https://www.tindie.com/products/onehorse/spi-flash-memory-add-ons-for-teensy-3x/)
- [Radiometrix 500mW VHF Narrowband
Transceiver](http://www.radiometrix.com/content/bim1h) (same as used
in TinyTrak4)
# Communications Links
[Bionics TinyTrak 4](http://www.byonics.com/tinytrak4/) Likely primary
APRS tracker - has limited telemetry capability [SainSonic TNC and 1 W
transmitter](https://www.amazon.com/SainSonic-AP510-Transceiver-Bluetooth-Thermometer/dp/B00JLB94IS)
[Arduino TNC using
bertos](https://sites.google.com/site/ki4mcw/Home/arduino-tnc) [Arduino
shield](http://wiki.argentdata.com/index.php?title=Radio_Shield) [Wouxun
KG-UV8D instant cross-band
repeater](http://www.amazon.com/Wouxun-KG-UV8D-Two-Way-Radio/dp/B00JYLMJ46)
[in action](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4UCx1sFor8) [our cute
little Yaesu VX-1 UHF
radio](http://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=111&encProdID=783160E8AAE4642A8751C75821666E16)
[433 MHz ISM band transceiver - 1 W, up to 256
kbps](http://www.anarduino.com/details.jsp?pid=130) [APRS on your cell
phone](https://aprsdroid.org/) [Bluetooth TNC for
above](http://www.mobilinkd.com/) [Where is SB-6?](http://APRS.fi)
[APRSISCE APRS tracking software for
Windows](http://aprsisce.wikidot.com/) [Direwolf TNC software for
Windows and Linux/PC/RasPi](https://github.com/wb2osz/direwolf) [xastir
APRS tracking software for
Linux/PC/RasPi](http://xastir.sourceforge.net/) [SoundModem TNC software
for Linux/PC/RasPi](http://www.linux-ax25.org/wiki/Soundmodem)
[Radiometrix Transmitters & RF Modules](http://www.radiometrix.com/)
[LoRa modem and 434 MHz radio shield for
RasPi](https://store.uputronics.com/index.php?route=product/product&path=61&product_id=68)

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# About
These team members will be primarily involved in researching
[FAA](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Aviation_Administration) &
[FCC](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federal_Communications_Commission)
rules and regulations. This will involve how the balloon flight and
[communications](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Communications "wikilink")
can be legally conducted.
# Team Members
- [Ethan Waldo](User:Ewaldo "wikilink") (licensed for Amateur Radio)
- Nancy Wolfson
# Resources
- [FAA drone rules](https://www.faa.gov/uas/)
- [FAA FAR 101 - The balloonery
laws](http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&node=14:2.0.1.3.15#sp14.2.101.d)
- [FAA marking and registration regulations may be
applicable](http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=e147a60011f64321a7cf43a8c09af801&mc=true&node=pt14.1.48&rgn=div5)
- [GSBC Regulations
Overview](http://community.balloonchallenge.org/t/regulations-overview-including-contacting-the-us-faa/676)

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# About
These team members will help facilitate project collaboration and
organization. This team may provide suggestions but project teams are
expected to self-organize and decisions will be made by the Spaceblimp
group at large.
# Team Members
- [Ethan Waldo](User:Ewaldo "wikilink")
- Nancy Wolfson
- Sanjey

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# About
This project involves any education or outreach initiatives that may be
developed to expand the Spaceblimp projects beyond HacDC. A key
education area is curriculum development to support [STEM and
STEAM](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science,_technology,_engineering,_and_mathematics)
initiatives. Providing education and curriculum will facilitate better
outreach and potential
[funding](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Funding "wikilink").
# Team Members Roles
- Nancy Wolfson-Project Development- I will be working on developing the
curriculum and other writing materials (If you want to join me please
add your name)
- [Ethan Waldo](User:Ewaldo "wikilink")
# Project Links
- Project Development - Curriculum Link coming up soon

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# About
These team members will deliver flight path predictions that will be
used to plan and coordinate the launch. This may also involve in situ
analysis in the air and on the ground. This team will also primarily be
responsible for delivering tracking payload(s).
# Team Members
- Derk
- Ethan M
- Nancy Wolfson
- Nick
- Samarth
# Flight Prediction
- [Cambridge University predictor](http://predict.habhub.org/)
- [U of Michigan
predictor](http://vmr.engin.umich.edu/Model/_balloon/index.py)
- [Jet stream
animations](http://squall.sfsu.edu/scripts/namjetstream_model_fcst.html)
- [Skyvector aeronautical charts, airport
locators](https://skyvector.com/)
# Tracking
- GPS

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# About
These team members will help drive various funding initiatives and
coordinate program budget with the . The funding team will also help
facilitate [project](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects "wikilink") funding
needs and coordinate with the [Project Awesome
Spaceblimp](PA_Spaceblimp "wikilink") contact.
# Focus Areas
- [Donations](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Funding#Donations "wikilink")
- [Fundraising](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Funding#Fundraising "wikilink")
- [Grants](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Funding#Grants "wikilink")
- [Project Awesome Spaceblimp](PA_Spaceblimp "wikilink")
# Team Members
- Enrique
- [Ethan Waldo](User:Ewaldo "wikilink")
- Nancy Wolfson
# Donations
- [Contributions](https://www.hacdc.org/donate/) earmarked for [Project
Awesome Spaceblimp](PA_Spaceblimp "wikilink")
- The Spaceblimp6 team has contributed \$260 in personal donations to
the project.
# Fundraising
- Vendor
- Logo Placement
- [Sponsorship](https://www.hacdc.org/sponsors/)
# Grants
- [NASA DC space grant](http://www.dcspacegrant.org/)
- More geared for awards to university students and teachers
- [Federal Government Grant
Opportunities](http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/search-grants.html?keywords=balloon)
- [ROSES-2016 A.1 Earth Science Research Section 2.3 Atmospheric
composition](https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=498120/solicitationId=%7B68C12087-132D-3814-9A87-5323BCE6CAB6%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/A.1%20ESD%20Summary.pdf)
- [A.17 ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION: UPPER ATMOSPHERIC COMPOSITION
OBSERVATIONS](https://nspires.nasaprs.com/external/viewrepositorydocument/cmdocumentid=498154/solicitationId=%7BB554F971-2BDF-A8A0-A909-8CF7C07DB175%7D/viewSolicitationDocument=1/A.17%20Upper%20Atmos%20Comp%20Observations.pdf)
- Future balloon measurements should focus on validation and
> collaborative observations for the [SAGEIII instrument on the
> International Space
> Station](http://science.nasa.gov/missions/sage-3-iss/) after
> 2016 and the continued ozone mapping and profiler suite
> ([OMPS](http://npp.gsfc.nasa.gov/omps.html))-Limb observations
> on [S-NPP and JPSS-2](http://npp.gsfc.nasa.gov/) to ensure
> continuity from Aura.
[HacDC Treasurer](Category:BOD "wikilink")

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# About
The launch team will be responsible for arriving at the [decided
launched site](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Flight_Prediction "wikilink")
to prepare and launch the balloon as well as initiate tracking. At least
one [amateur radio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio)
operator should be present in the group. Communications with the
[recovery
team](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Recovery_team_(chase_team) "wikilink")
should be maintained as best as possible through preparations made by
the [communications
logistics](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Groundwork#Logistical_Communications "wikilink")
team.
# Team Members
- TBD (All are welcome)

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# About
These team members will deliver one or more payloads for tracking and
possibly integrating power-oriented subsystems. This will be critical
for understanding delivery of power to all payloads and may be used in
situ for reactionary measures as well as for post flight analysis. Some
common power subsystems can include battery, solar, energy harvesting,
and various generators with wind as a primary source.
# Team Members
- Mariama
- Nancy Wolfson
# Tracking
# Payloads

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# About
The recovery team will be responsible for arriving at the [predicted
recovery site](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Flight_Prediction "wikilink")
to track and relocate (as best as possible when flight deviations occu)
in order to recover the balloon after its return. At least one [amateur
radio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amateur_radio) operator should be
present in the group. Communications with the [launch
team](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Launch_team "wikilink") should be
maintained as best as possible through preparations made by the
[communications
logistics](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Groundwork#Logistical_Communications "wikilink")
team.
# Team Members
Ethan W., Nick B., John P., Enrique C., Nicole, Kyle, Derk, Sam

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# About
These team members will provide a due diligence effort to ensure best
practices are in place that maximizes the safety allowable in an
uncontrolled balloon launch. [FAA rules and
guidelines](HacDC_Spaceblimp_6/Projects/Compliance "wikilink") and
potential life and property hazards should be taken in to consideration.
# Team Members
- Ethan M (tentative)
- [Ethan Waldo](User:Ewaldo "wikilink")
- Nancy Wolfson
# Rules
- Cannot operate the balloon in a manner that impact of the balloon or
payload with the surface creates a hazard to persons or property not
associated with the operation
[1](http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?rgn=div5&node=14:2.0.1.3.15#se14.2.101_133)

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# About
These team members will be responsible for delivering one or more
payloads that use sensors for measurement.
# Team Members
- Ethan M
- [Ethan Waldo](User:Ewaldo "wikilink") (tentative)
- John P
- Nancy Wolfson
- Nick (tentative)
# Ideas
- Muon detection
- <https://hackaday.io/project/1700-cosmic-ray-muon-81-9x9-pixel-hodoscope>
- <https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=it.android.muonflux&hl=en>
- <http://www.gizmag.com/physicist-smartphones-pocket-cosmic-ray-detectors/34121/>
- <http://arxiv.org/pdf/1410.2895v2.pdf>
<!-- -->
- Slow scan TV
- [camera and audio
modulator](https://www.argentdata.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=150)
video could be sent down on UHF or VHF (HF may be too much trouble)
# Links
[Our rusty/dusty Geiger
counter](http://www.goldmine-elec-products.com/prodinfo.asp?number=C6979)

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# About
These team members will provide active or passive stabilization
suggestions and solutions to maximize the potential for payloads that
are better served by a stabilized craft.
# Team Members
- Nancy Wolfson
- Samarth
- Martin
- Ethan M
# Links
[useful information on balloon
stabilization](http://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1037&context=ahac)

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# About
This team will provide guidance and deliver solutions for the structural
design of the payload bay, its securing to the balloon, and the balloon
itself. This team and all other project teams that will be delivering
payloads are expected to communicate needs, constraints, and
expectations. Final constraints and designs will be approved by the
Spaceblimp group at large.
# Team Members
- Derk
- Ethan M
- Nancy Wolfson
- Nick
- Samarth
# Constraints
- 2000g balloon
# Ideas
- ZPB DIY balloon (probably not first flight)
- Housing Idea - Laser (or hot wire) cut expanded Styrofoam - glue
together layers of Styrofoam for custom 3D shape and cover in epoxy
for mounting hardness/Durability
# Resources
- <http://habhub.org/calc/>
- [GSBC Regulations
Overview](http://community.balloonchallenge.org/t/regulations-overview-including-contacting-the-us-faa/676)
should be reviewed for structural design considerations

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# About
This team will lead the effort to ensure all systems are compatible,
operate to specifications, have proper fail safes, and have the best
chance of surviving the conditions of a [High-altitude
balloon](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/High-altitude_balloon) flight.
# Team Members
- Ethan M
- [Ethan Waldo](User:Ewaldo "wikilink")
- Nancy Wolfson
# Resources
- <http://www.instructables.com/id/Simulated-High-Altitude-PressureTemperature-Chambe/>

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# Team Members Roles
Enrique
# Project Links
- **[Google Sheet of all
Components](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1pbtn7ECg-q11PLaRodAbiNXFW9PaxQSlg8VCRAd21Sg/edit?usp=sharing)**
- Project Development - Curriculum Link coming up soon

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<figure>
<img src="_Sb7_peak.jpg" title="_Sb7_peak.jpg" width="800" />
<figcaption>_Sb7_peak.jpg</figcaption>
</figure>
# Flight Summary
<figure>
<img src="_Sb7_flight_path.jpg" title="_Sb7_flight_path.jpg"
width="750" />
<figcaption>_Sb7_flight_path.jpg</figcaption>
</figure>
| Date of launch: | Saturday, April 14, 2018 |
|------------------------------:|---------------------------------------------|
| Time of launch: | 11:08 |
| Time of landing: | 14:30 |
| Time of recovery: | ~17:15 |
| Flight duration: | 3:22:00 |
| Peak recorded altitude: | TBD |
| Location of launch: | Strasburg VA, (38 59'48.77"N 78 21'03.27"W) |
| Location of landing: | Manchester MD, (39 40'33.6"N 76 44'03.9"W) |
| Distance (launch to landing): | 98.3 mi, (158.2 km) |
| Balloon type: | 1500 g Kaymont |
| Payload weight: | TBD |
| Balloon lift: | TBD |
| Net lift: | TBD |
------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Project Description & Status
SpaceBlimp 7 was designed as a community project driven by independent
specialists from DC (Nancy C. Wolfson-Project Manager), Maryland, and
members from HacDC (Enrique Cobas-Technical Manager), Rockville
Makerspace (Samarth C. & David R. DeLalio- Technical Manager), and
Unallocated Hackerspace. Spaceblimp 7 is an educational and exploratory
stratospheric balloon project that lofts various payloads to near-space
(about 100,000ft). The team is dedicated to experimenting with new
technologies that will make near space activities less expensive and
more broadly accessible. From electronics to mechanical design to
physics, the interconnectedness of disciplines teaches a lesson in
engineering teamwork and collaboration.
The project has Technical, logistical and Educational goals which are
described below. Spaceblimp 7 looks to add new components that weren???t
part of HacDC???s previous six Spaceblimp launches. By forming a
partnership with several other area makerspaces, volunteers, hackers and
educators we are expanding our team and pooling resources. By expanding
the project we aim to increase its visibility and benefit all the
organizations involved as well as an increase fund-raising opportunities
to help sustain all the partners/organizations and the project
Spaceblimp in the long-term. This will also expose high school students
to educational and technical resources outside of the school environment
as well as giving all the participants the opportunity to share skills
and interests to work together and learn from one another to achieve
shared goals. Local area hackers and space enthusiasts will also benefit
by being able to actively participate and develop skills in the design
and launch of the payloads.
Local area hackers, space enthusiasts, and community members have come
together to share and learn new skills in the design, construction, and
launch of the project.The sixth launch, Spaceblimp 6, reached 104,000ft.
Spaceblimp 7 is being done in collaboration with Rockville Makerspace
[1](http://rockvillesciencecenter.org/programs/studio-i-makerspace/) and
Unallocated Space [2](https://www.unallocatedspace.org/).
COMING SOON: -Technical, Logistical, Educational and Outreach Results.
-The Story Behind the Spaceblimp 7 -Photo Galery
# Project Goals
Baseline **technical goals** are the safe and successful launch,
tracking and recovery of a stratospheric balloon and its payloads. These
goals involve exploration of concepts of buoyancy, basic electronics and
energy storage, triangulation and timekeeping, radio propagation,
weather prediction, FAA regulations and stratospheric environment
conditions. In addition to these baseline goals, the project will
welcome additional technical goals from volunteers and students
primarily in the form of payload experiments suggested, designed and
built by them. Spaceblimp will encourage use of CubeSat geometry
payloads to give students experience with the CubeSat design constraints
and to foster discussion with future other CubeSat missions.
The **educational objective** is primarily to provide an engaging,
multi-day hands-on educational experience for students and volunteers
heavily focused on STEM. Students will be engaged in a hands-on lesson
by disassembling, reassembling and testing the basic tracking module
components (GPS, radios) and other payloads. The nature of the balloon
flight will naturally lead to discussion of scientific subjects like
buoyancy, atmospheric composition and density, radio propagation,
weather prediction and technical topics like power consumption and
energy storage. Students will have first-hand exposure to a team working
environment with delegation of responsibilities and the necessary
communication and coordination. Critically, students will be allowed to
suggest, design and build their own balloon payloads to be launched into
near-space. This kind of self-directed educational approach uses
students own natural curiosity and motivation to increase engagement and
their sense of ownership of the resulting project.
# Flight Summary
After two weather-related postponements, launch took place on Saturday
April 14, 2018, at Strasburg VA. Spaceblimp 7 was launched from Shopping
Center Drive in Strasburg, VA and was recovered just outside of Pretty
Boy Reservoir in Manchester, MD, just south of the Pennsylvania border.
As indicated by the recorded track above, GPS coodinates were lost near
Harper's Ferry, WV at an altitude about 30,000ft and regained during the
descent. At the moment the cause for both GPS receivers to lose their
lock at roughly the same time is unexplained. Possibilities include
interference from the Raspberry Pi Power Supply DC-DC Converter or jet
stream turbulence rocking the payload, causing loss of line-of-sight to
GPS satellites. However, the GPS lock was reliable at first, and was
regained during the more turbulent descent phase.
# Logistics
Project logistics include those necessary to achieve the technical
goals, but also networking of area makerspaces and volunteers, outreach
to local governments, funding sources and potential sponsors,
coordination of project documentation and public exhibition of the
project. This may include informational booths at relevant area events,
compilation of video and publication of a project wiki. All new partners
(including students) will be able to add or edit our project plan and
proposed new topics for the meeting???s agenda.
Points of Contact: HacDC: Enrique C, Technical Manager and Funding POC,
enrique@hacdc.org HacDC: Nancy W, Project, Logistics and Student
Outreach Manager Rockville RSC: Sam C, Technical Manager Rockville RSC:
David D, Logistics and Outreach Manager Unallocated Space: Buddy,
Technical and Logistics Manager
# Environmental Data
A nearly-complete record of sensor measurements was obtained from the
Raspberry Pi Pimoroni Enviro PHAT sensor board. These divided into two
data logs, one for pressure, temperature, illumination, illumination
color and one for 3-axis acceleration and compass heading. The former
acquired data several times per minute while the latter was acquired at
about 40Hz. These were acquired and analyzed using Python scripts and
plotted in gnuplot.
The pressure drops as expected from atmospheric (101kPa) to 1.68kPa. The
minmium pressure recorded corresponds approximately to 94,000ft altitude
according to some online calculators. Since we lack a GPS log of
altitude at high altitudes, this is an important estimate. However, the
sensor component on the Enviro PHAT is only rated down to 30kPa and
readings far below this range may be untrustworthy. We may perform
additional tests of the EnviroPHAT board in a vacuum chamber to
establish a calibration. In addition the timestamp for the minimum
pressure (171156 UTC) may be incorrect due to an unexplained glitch (see
below).
**For all plots below, Flight Time (sec) was obtained by dividing evenly
among all timestamps between 15:00:00 and 18:00:00 UTC. However, 18:00
UTC should actually read 18:30 UTC (see glitch below). In addition, this
method hides the uneven distribution of data collection especially in
accelerometer data. In reality this was acquired in bursts at 40Hz.**
<figure>
<img src="Sb7P_ftime.png" title="File:Sb7P_ftime.png" />
<figcaption><a
href="File:Sb7P_ftime.png">File:Sb7P_ftime.png</a></figcaption>
</figure>
**Glitch at 164737 UTC.**
At 16:47:37.75 an unexplained glitch occurred: the timestamps in the
environmental sensor log jump backwards almost 30 minutes to 161717. The
pressure log drops suddenly from 8.388kPa to 7.042kPa, a drop of
1.346kPa. Note the Pi Zero doesn???t have an onboard clock so timestamps
represent the running time of the script rather than the real absolute
time. Extrapolating from the rate of pressure drop just before and after
that point, the drop should have taken about 6 minutes. This is a
reasonable delay for the Raspberry Pi to shutdown, reboot and complete a
file system check and resume the measurement script. The glitch matches
an unusually turbulent segment in the accelerometer data but the
readings don't seem harmful (+/-0.1g at 1Hz). Far more turbulence
occurred several minutes later during the ascent (+/-0.2g 1Hz), during
the descent (+/-0.5g \>2Hz) and during the landing (+/-2.0g) with no
corresponding malfunctions.
The most turbulent part of the ascent (+/-0.2g at 1 Hz) occurred several
minutes later and during the decent
<figure>
<img src="Pglitch_ftime.png" title="File:Pglitch_ftime.png" />
<figcaption><a
href="File:Pglitch_ftime.png">File:Pglitch_ftime.png</a></figcaption>
</figure>
**Temperature**
Temperature readings fall steadily from ambient ground temperature about
29.7 C to -39.9C at 16:20:19 UTC when the pressure reading was 17,568 Pa
or about 40,300 ft calculated altitude. It then rises again to 36.3 C at
17:12:10 UTC\* (the payload is in the sun and there???s less convective
cooling with less air). That???s roughly the peak altitude. Then the
temperature falls more steeply as the payload descends into cold (-40C)
air, and then warms near ground altitude where the air is warmer.
<figure>
<img src="Sb7T_ftime.png" title="File:Sb7T_ftime.png" />
<figcaption><a
href="File:Sb7T_ftime.png">File:Sb7T_ftime.png</a></figcaption>
</figure>
**Illumination**
Direct sunlight maxes out the illumination sensor (at 65,535 bits) and
most of the data is thus this value. But some data points are lower,
possibly measurements taken randomly in the shade of the nylon strap as
the payload rotated. These would be measurements of the sky brightness
not including direct sunlight, and they show a trend. They begin hear
60,000 and fall steadily to 15,000, i.e the sky transitions from bright
to relatively dark. Illumination includes light scattered from the
balloon and rigging. Large deviations from the max value (i.e. dark
measurements) stop abruptly near the peak altitude. I???ll guess the
payload was spinning too fast in descent to acquire a complete
measurement in the shade.
<figure>
<img src="Sb7Lux_ftime.png" title="File:Sb7Lux_ftime.png" />
<figcaption><a
href="File:Sb7Lux_ftime.png">File:Sb7Lux_ftime.png</a></figcaption>
</figure>
**Blueishness**
I calculated blue saturation by taking the Blue/RBG ratio in the RGB
sensor data. Again, most of the time the sensor is maxed out by direct
sunlight, setting the Blue/Red ratio to 1.0. However in the shade the
measurement is meaningful. The sky illumination becomes more blue for
about 2000 seconds (35-40 minutes) and then becomes less blue. At the
highest altitudes the illumination is actually slightly reddish (the
latex balloon color?).
<figure>
<img src="Sb7Blue_fltime.png" title="File:Sb7Blue_fltime.png" />
<figcaption><a
href="File:Sb7Blue_fltime.png">File:Sb7Blue_fltime.png</a></figcaption>
</figure>
**Delay between measurements**
In principle all measurements should take the same amount of time,
although some scatter is expected from the script swapping between fast
accelerometer data (about 10 seconds worth) and environmental sensor
data (measured every few seconds). The Raspberry Pi Zero was also tasked
with photographing another payload every 60 seconds or so, an operation
that could hog the CPU or the microSD card momentarily. These should be
regular, consistent delays throughout the flight.
The timestamp differential between measurements is largely binomial; the
measurements are either 21 or 27ms apart although there's significant
scatter even up to 55ms.
The **glitch** is visible in this data as well, as a statistical change
in the measurement delay times: the fastest measurements (20.1-20.5ms)
became more common than they were before. This changed lasted the
remaining duration of the flight. The increased measurement delays
exactly at the glitch time (6336 flight seconds or 16:48:30.5 UTC) are
consistent with the script running while boot processes are still
momentarily running after a reboot.
<figure>
<img src="Sb7Delay_ftime.png" title="File:Sb7Delay_ftime.png" />
<figcaption><a
href="File:Sb7Delay_ftime.png">File:Sb7Delay_ftime.png</a></figcaption>
</figure>
# Accelerometer Data
The ascent phase was gentle with excursions of +/- 0.2g. There's no
indication of an acceleration anomaly just prior to the glitch. The
balloon pop occurs near 17:12:19\* UTC where the total acceleration
suddenly drops from 1.0g to below 0.1g for several seconds. Terminal
velocity is approached very quickly as within 10 seconds the payload
registers an average of about 1.0g again.
<figure>
<img src="Sb7Accelg_pop_ftime.png"
title="File:Sb7Accelg_pop_ftime.png" />
<figcaption><a
href="File:Sb7Accelg_pop_ftime.png">File:Sb7Accelg_pop_ftime.png</a></figcaption>
</figure>
Minimum Pressure: 1685Pa at 17:11:56.1\* UTC.
Peak Temperature: 36.25C at 17:12:10.7\* UTC.
Last '~1G' Data: 1.07g at 17:12:18.5\* UTC.
First 'Zero-G' Data: 0.1g at 17:12:19.1 UTC.\*\*
- Timestamps after 164737 are slow by 30 minutes due to a glitch (see
glitch discussion above). 171200 corresponds to 17:42 UTC.
<!-- -->
- - Note the the sequence is 1.07, 1.75, 1.70, -0.06, 0.10g in a span of
0.6 seconds.
# System Logs
**Useful Links** Working documents on Google Drive:
[3](https://drive.google.com/open?id=1Lw55HiaDk5GbLUFwuXcTWeM44eYJ7sq1)
<noinclude> </noinclude>

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### Email from Heather Goss (8/25/10)
(DCist, <http://dcist.com/profile/dcist_heather/posts>)
"I'll probably run most of this as a straight interview -- if it helps,
answer lengths of a sentence or two, to a paragraph are usually good,
unless it requires a more detailed answer. Can't wait to hear more!
- Can you tell me a little about HacDC? How did you get involved? What
kinds of other big projects have you done?
The official description of what we are can be found at
<http://hacdc.org/about/>. The shorter version is that HacDC is a
member-supported space dedicated to making things by inventing,
extending and repurposing new and junked stuff. We also research common
interests by forming working groups and building projects, and building
associations with like minded communities of interest, in DC and beyond.
The general public is welcome to all events and is encouraged to join
the hacker space.
I \[Alberto\] came to HacDC via DorkbotDC, the DC chapter of the
international group of *people to doing strange things with
electricity.* Two of our members, Nick Farr and Adam Koeppel were
DorkbotDC regulars and they germinated the idea to form a hacker space
on DC. Parallel to their efforts to raise enough charter members to rent
a space, a joint DorkbotDC and HacDC build-a-thon event was planned at
the Koshland Museum of Science, spearheaded by DorkbotDC regular Mark
Adams. The first friends and members of HacDC came from that community.
HacDC is a relatively young organization but has organized several
workshops aimed at teaching the basic skills necessary to be able to
approach present and past technology with the creative mindset to mutate
it in an innovative or idiosyncratic way. HacDC maintains a wiki with
much of the organization's history (in progress) including ongoing and
past projects: <http://wiki.hacdc.org/>
- Tell me about Hackerspaces in Space. What was the goal? How many
groups were involved?
The Hackerspaces in space contest was initiated by Workshop 88
(http://www.workshop88.com/), a hackerspace in Chicago. According to
their website, 19 groups are involved from as far away as Thailand. The
contest officially ended on August 31st. The rules are here:
<http://www.workshop88.com/space/assets/download2.php> and include rules
on cost, launch and recovery team size. Scoring criteria include
retrieval time, weight of package, and cost. Our working group was code
named the **Spaceblimp Project** because **Near-Space Balloon Project**
didn't have the same ring to it; besides, Spaceblimp has a certain 70s
disaster movie feel to it and this whole thing could have turned out to
be so much pie in the sky. The team included a small core group of very
talented and motivated people who dedicated many, many hours of
planning, design, experimentation/prototyping, fabrication, funding, and
good ol'sweat. It was their commitment and dedication that made this
happen.
- What was your experience building the spaceblimp? Did you have any
interesting challenges to overcome? How long did it take to build the
blimp?
The rules were pretty limiting and we're still not sure where we rank.
We learned that it's quite difficult to get a balloon into near space
cheaply. There are also regional differences in materials/supplies
pricing that give a relative advantage to some groups. We lost one
balloon the week before the successful launch and that was traumatic and
demoralizing. We had to weigh the desire to add redundant systems and
more sensors—both of which would have allowed us to account for more
contingencies—against the need to keep the payload light. As with most
projects, the highly motivated few who drove the process had the most to
lose so they were more nervous than the bystanders on launch day.
- What was launch day like? (I'm curious more about everyone's
feelings/reactions than a blow-by-blow of the day. Also can you give
me the nitty gitty -- time, location, how long did it run.) Did
anything surprising or crazy happen?
The final launch took place on August 21, at Camp Spring, MD. The jet
stream was acting crazy so the balloon deviated from the original
prediction. The team was divided into launch and recovery subgroups.
They both became parts of the chase team once the balloon was aloft. The
stats on the launch can be found on the wiki:
<http://wiki.hacdc.org/index.php/HacDC_Spaceblimp#Documentation>
> "My feeling, at least, was excitement mingled with extreme dread; we'd
> lost the last capsule pretty badly, and if this one didn't make it we
> would completely miss the competition deadline. I really wanted to see
> it all go well, and it's really thrilling to do that countdown and
> release it into the sky," recalls Tom Cohlmia.
The package descended a short distance from a private residence's pool,
just beyond reach from outside the fence. Nobody was home and we were
faced with a dilemma, jump the low fence and grab the package, or wait
until the owners arrive? The decision was made for us as the owners' car
pulled up. Our efforts turned to explaining to them why a group of
people were congregated at the edge of their relatively rural property.
They were amenable and allowed us to retrieve the package and go on our
way. We gathered at a church up the road and converged there with the
rest of the chasers. We cracked the "launch box" open and let it warm up
a bit before pulling the SD card and transferring the images: without a
photograph of the curvature of the planet, we would have nothing except
a fun chase. As the images of blackness the of space appeared on the
laptop, there was a great cheer.
- What were the results of HacDC's launch in particular? Was it
successful? How high did it go? And were you able to recover your
payload? Did any other blimps achieve something spectacular?
> "Ours was a big success! The payload went to 60,000 feet, and then
> parachuted back to the ground. The payload was found in someone's
> backyard, a few feet from their swimming pool. Everything was intact,
> though, and the pictures turned out great. Total time from launch to
> recovery, 1 hr 33 mins, traveling 27 miles as the crow flies."
- What are the applications of the spaceblimp project? (What kinds of
research can be done with blimps, and/or can even the process of
developing new near-spacecraft like this help us in other ways?)
We look forward to launching another balloon without having to worry
about meeting contest criteria. We're talking about adding an
accelerometer, several cameras with faceted mirror array to get many
angles at once, and perhaps including video.
There are a wide range of applications to this kind of technology, all
of which have the potential of engaging communities at the grass roots
level in the observation and analysis of the kind of scientific data
collected from (near)space. Given the controversies over issues like
global warming, land use, environmental disaster (yes, BP and Exxon, we
are looking at you,) having a means for communities to monitor and
record their own world and the changes in it is increasingly important.
This technology greatly democratizes access to most of the value of a
space program (satellites, etc.) without the cost. A relatively small
group can monitor air quality, haze, temperature, radiation, and many
other factors live and near-real time from 60,000 to 120,000 feet for
very little money—without dependence on large government agencies or
commercial organizations.
In addition, the project provides a really exciting platform for a range
of educational opportunities- all of which include the excitement of
seeing the student's own work go into (near)space! We have had both
school-age kids and teachers participate in our activities, and everyone
went away excited about participating, along with being very interested
in perhaps doing their own near-space balloon launch in the future! One
thing is for certain: kids really "get it" about the fun and potential
of high-altitude balloon launches!
"If there's anything else you want to add, please let me know! Also,
please send along any helpful links (I've got the ones to HacDC,
Hackerspace, and the Flickr page), as well as a short bio describing you
and anyone else who responds. Thanks!"
### Some quotes from the number crunching
From an email dated 8/21/10:
> Woot! And because I just can't look at the raw numbers without my
> graphing fingers getting all itchy....
>
> [1](http://www.jerkpile.com/spaceblimp/altitude_time.pdf) is the
> rise/fall profile. Kinda boring. For more fun, have a look at
> [2](http://www.jerkpile.com/spaceblimp/riseSpeed_time.pdf), which is
> calculated by differencing altitude and time, and dividing. Nice
> freefall until the chute opens!
>
> Many graphs just confirm stuff was working. gpsSatellites_time.pdf and
> gpsHeading_time.pdf, for instance.
>
> The two temperature graphs, temp_time.pdf and temp_altitude.pdf give a
> good idea of how cold it is up there (-50C Brrr...) and an test of our
> improved insulation -- we bottomed out at a positively summery 6C.
>
> The neatest (IMO) is
> [3](http://www.jerkpile.com/spaceblimp/windspeed_altitude.pdf) which
> shows the balloon's lateral travel as a function of its altitude,
> which is a good guess at windspeed. There's four points, one each for
> the GPS's speed variable and a calculated speed (from differencing
> location and time) and one each for rising and falling. Overall, a
> decent profile of winds aloft.
>
> All files are hosted up on a bazaar repo at
> [4](http://www.jerkpile.com/spaceblimp/). You can browse it directly.
> blimp2_eeprom_log.txt has a copy of the raw data (thanks Nick), and
> analyseBlimp.R has my R code for all the graphs. (apt-get install
> r-base or just google "R"). — Elliot Williams