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