EE 189L - Fall 2017

EE 189L: Space Vehicles LLC - A Project-based Course for New Students

Balloon launch morning of December 11, 2017
Students successfully launch their weather balloon (credit:  Chris Pauli)

Co-instructors:

  • Aly El-Osery
  • Anders Jorgensen
  • Kevin Wedeward

Learning coaches:

  • Skyler Fennell
  • Caleb Matheson
  • Brendan Noone

Topics (roughly by week):

  1. Welcome and introduction to course
  2. Measurements, electronics and instrumentation
  3. Programming the Arduino Uno, LEDs, digital write and PWM
  4. Analog-to-digital converters, and measurements of temperature via Arduino Uno and thermistor
  5. Antennas and communications
  6. Logging data on SD card via Arduino Uno, and plotting with Excel and Matlab
  7. Interfacing with GPS via Arduino Uno
  8. Overview of balloon launches and related research at NMT
  9. Students divide in three teams (logistics, communications and payload) and develop everything needed to launch weather balloon by semester's end

Useful links:

  • Cambridge University Spaceflight (CUSF) Landing Predictor - A tool to predict the flight path and landing location of latex sounding balloons.
  • High Altitude Science Balloon Performance Calculator - A tool to predict the amount of helium needed for a balloon.

Credits and thanks:

  • Ken Eack for demonstrations, wisdom and supplies related to launching a weather balloon
  • Chris Pauli for photographs
  • Socorro Amateur Radio Club for assistance tracking balloon and communications with chase vehicle

Pictures from flight on 11 Dec 2017:

Balloon's payload
Payload including Canon PowerShot A560 camera, Tracksoar Ready To Fly and Arduino Uno-based measurement system (credit:  Kevin Wedeward)
Inflating balloon
Filling 600 gram weather balloon with helium (credit:  Chris Pauli)
Inflating balloon
Filling weather balloon (credit:  Chris Pauli)
Tying balloon
Tying off weather balloon (credit:  Chris Pauli)
Launching balloon
 Preparing to launch weather balloon (credit:  Chris Pauli)
Balloon in flight
Weather balloon after launch (credit:  Chris Pauli)
Aerial view of New Mexico Tech and Socorro (credit:  NMT's balloon-based camera)
M-mountain from balloon
Aerial view of M-mountain (credit:  NMT's balloon-based camera)
New Mexico Tech and M-mountain from balloon

Aerial view of New Mexico Tech and M-mountain (credit: NMT's balloon-based camera)

Rio Grande and I-25 from balloon
Aerial view of Rio Grande Valley (credit:  NMT's balloon-based camera)
Magdalena Mountains

Aerial view of Magdalena Mountains and horizon (credit: NMT's balloon-based camera)

Rio Grande and Horizon from balloon
Aerial view of Rio Grande Valley and horizon (credit:  NMT's balloon-based camera)
Horizon from balloon
Aerial view of Rio Grande Valley and horizon (credit:  NMT's balloon-based camera)
Horizon from balloon
Aerial view of horizon (credit:  NMT's balloon-based camera)
Landing site
Landing site east of Socorro (credit:  Skyler Fennell)
Close-up of landing site
Close-ups of landing site (credit:  Skyler Fennell)
Position of balloon and chase vehicle via APRS
Paths of weather balloon and recovery vehicle (credit:  aprs.fi and Google)
Plot of balloon's altitude from Tracksoar and altimeter
Altitude of weather balloon reported by Tracksoar/APRS (note updates failed above approximately 40,000 feet for a duration of roughly 30 minutes) and recorded from independent altimeter (credit:  Aly El-Osery)
Short video with highlights taken from weather balloon's flight (credit:  NMT's balloon-based camera and Aly El-Osery)
Longer video with highlights taken from weather balloon's flight (credit:  NMT's balloon-based camera and Aly El-Osery)