SHARP 3-1 Mission


 

The SHARP 3.1 Flight

 

November 28th, 2013


 

SHARP 3.1 Flight Path

 

If you have Google earth installed on your computer, click the link above and download the kmz file to view the flight path.

 

This flight is history but the evaluation is ongoing. It appears at this point that we may have loaded a little too much helium in the balloon. The ascent rate may have been faster than planned and certainly the balloon burst below the programmed cut-down altitude. See the fight path above. The programmed cut-down altitude was 36.9 km. Data and video analysis may tell us exactly what happened. As with SHARP 2; the aprs beacon cut-out after the burst only to come back to life just before landing. The descent was very fast as the parachute shroud lines became tangled in the remains of the balloon and balloon line. The beacon continued to work after impact with the ground allowing us to make a very easy recovery in a farm field just west of highway 75. 

 

That's all for today.

 

November 6th, 2013


SHARP 3.1 Flickr Photos 

 

November 8, 2013


Early Data (unprocessed) from SHARP 3.1 Mission

 

 

November 7th, 2013


 

SHARP 3.1 Specifications and Payload Pictures

 

SHARP 3.1 is a Kaymont 3000 gram helium filled balloon and a payload that was designed and built by SHARP students between 2012 to 2013. The launch date has been moved to Wednesday, November 6thdepending on approval of the flight plan by Transport Canada, Nav Canada and on the weather.

 

Flight Specifications

Launch volume at the Earth’s surface:                         6.48 m3 / 229 ft3

Balloon to payload length:                                           7 metres

Total payload mass (includes parachute):                    2100 grams (4.63 lbs)

Free lift:                                                                     1465 grams

Neck lift:                                                                    3565 grams

Ascent rate:                                                               4.9 m/s or about 1000 ft/min

Burst altitude:                                                            37480 metres

Burst diameter:                                                          13 metres

Payload release altitude:                                             36800 metres

Time to burst:                                                            127 minutes

Descent rate near Earth’s surface:                               5 – 8 m/s (20 – 30 km/h)

Total flight time:                                                         150 minutes                          

APRS beacon call sign:                                                VE4SHS-9

24 inch, 8 panel hemisphere parachute:                      Anchor Parachutes

Launch site:                                                               Treherne Collegiate - Treherne, MB

Launch site altitude:                                                   368 metres

Launch Time:                                                             12 PM CST - 18:00 UTC

 

Tracking

Byonics Micro-Track 8000 APRS tracker transmits digital packets (144.390 MHz) which includes callsign, position and altitude every 30 seconds

SPOT satellite messenger

 

Sensors

The following sensors are connected to an Arduino microcontroller which will be logging data to a memory card:

1 external temperature sensor

Geiger counter (radiation sensor)

luminosity sensor

barometric pressure sensor

1 3-axis acceleration and magnetic field sensor

 

The following sensors will be logging data internally:

external temperature sensors

1 internal temperature sensor

 

Imaging Systems

The following is a list the imaging systems used:

1 GoPro HD video camera with heated auxiliary battery pointed horizontally

Canon PowerShot A1200 running Canon Hack Development Kit CHDK pointed down

808 #16 HD video camera pointed up

1 808 #16 HD video camera pointed horizontally

 

Payload Release Circuits

2 SHARP developed Arduino/GPS controlled cut-down circuits

 

Air Regulations 

Special Flight Operations Certificate Application template (based on the Hyperion UAV SFOC template posted online by the University of Waterloo).

 

Payload Photos:

Communications module (top deck)

Science module (mid-deck)

Imaging module (lower deck)

cut-down wire on pcb

 

November 3rd, 2013

 


October 30th Flight Cancelled!

 

The SHARP 3.1 flight plan for October 30, 2013 was denied by NavCanada so the flight will be rescheduled when we clear up our regulations problem. The weather is perfect today which makes this an especially unfortunate situation. We are disappointed that we were not able to fly but we still hope to launch either in November or in 2014. Today's flight path prediction is very nearly the same as 24 hours and 48 hours ago. It would have been a great flight with our best payload yet. Next time!

 

October 30, 2013


 

SHARP 3.1 Mission Goals

 

1. To improve High Altitude Balloon (HAB) launch procedures

2. To use a GPS/Arduino/cutdown circuit to release the payload at programmed altitude 

3. To use an Arduino microcontroller and logger shield to record acceleration/magnetic field in three dimensions 

4. To use an Arduino microcontroller and logger shield to record barometric pressure and luminosity

5. To use two precision temperature sensors to determine the effect of radiant heating in the stratosphere (Stratospheric Heating Experiment)

6. To use an Arduino, logger shield and Geiger counter to record radioactivity throughout the flight 

7. To use an Arduino microcontroller and logger shield to record light intensity 

8. To improve imaging (1 horizontal GoPro video, 1 downward pointing Canon taking stills at intervals, 2 808 #16 key chain video boom cameras)

9. To record close-up video of Arduino controlled RC aircraft drop and payload release using boom cameras 

 

September 2012