Monday, September 2, 2013

Missing...

Well, after two days of searching rough, steep terrain at the last reported coordinates for Daedalus 1, we've come up short. It's not where it's supposed to be, unless: A) it's stuck high in the treetops, which is quite possible in the spot it landed; or B) the coordinates it reported at the end are off.  We've searched that area pretty extensively, but it's just not there.  We don't think it could have been taken by someone, given how remote and difficult the area is.

It's hard to convey the disappointment after this much work and time and money have been spent on this project. This is a huge setback, but we haven't given up.  We are assessing various options for trying to locate the craft.

The helpful people at PocketFinder are jumping in to help analyze the logs.  Local property owners around the landing site have been great and are on the lookout. We do have a few more ideas to try to find it, but we are focusing on more technical analysis of the logs that may direct us back to another spot to search, or the help of the locals who are keeping an eye out for it. If that doesn't work, we have a few other ideas we'd move on to next.  The story isn't over yet.  Hopefully we will find it soon!  

Sunday, September 1, 2013

Daedalus Has Landed!

Well, the launch was a success. The recovery is still a work in progress, however.

The prediction website had forecasted a landing 2 hours later around Yountville, north of Napa, and we headed up that way, hoping to soon get an update from the Pocketfinder that had it safely back into range, and hopefully around where we were waiting for it.  At around 5:30, we finally got the notification we had been waiting for.  The PocketFinder was back in range again, dropping fast from 34,000 feet, and, astoundingly, was coming down 10 miles from where we were! We couldn't believe that the prediction website had been so accurate, and it was an incredible relief that it was back and seemingly still intact.  We had sent a craft into "near space" and it was now returning to earth.

We headed up into the mountains to find the parachute and capsule, and ended up on some very rough back roads. Luckily, we had a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The terrain was much steeper and rougher than we expected as we climbed up further into the mountains, and we were finally led to a vineyard at the top of a mountain in Napa Valley. This was actually a private vineyard, and the owners were kind enough to let us begin exploring the property. Once inside, we hiked to the top of the mountain, and looked for the parachute using the PocketFinder Android/iOS app in conjunction with Google Maps. We finally narrowed it down to an area of about 100 sq. ft., but the area was incredibly dense, thick trees and bushes. We searched for around 2 hours, but to our dismay, we couldn't find it by the time the sun had set, and the light had left the valley. We called it a day, and drove back into town to find a hotel to stay in. We are confident that we will find it tomorrow, and will have the recovered videos up as soon as we do.

LAUNCHED!

After 9 months of work, some unexpected delays, budget and timing challenges, and endless details to manage, at 3:00pm today, Daedalus-1 had a successful launch!  It was truly thrilling to watch, and we ended up with a nice audience of well-wishers and curious onlookers to join the send-off.

Tying safety lines and filling up the balloon
After running various scenarios and predictions based on the weather that morning, we faced a choice - go for a "safe" launch in the central valley south of San Jose with very few challenging predicted landing spots, but not as spectacular of a view... or a riskier launch south of San Francisco that would take the balloon directly over the city, over the Bay Bridge, over the San Francisco Bay itself, and up into Marin County and Napa Valley, some of the most scenic areas anywhere.  Unquestionably this would give us more spectacular video footage, but there were far more possible things that could go wrong on the landing - namely, landing in the bay, or in various lakes, or in more mountainous and rugged terrain.  The weather in San Francisco was so clear, that we ultimately chose to go for the riskier, but more beautiful flight path.  We would launch from Franklin D. Roosevelt Elementary School in Daly City, CA... the perfect location for our proposed flight path, and a nice spot used each weekend by amateur RC plane clubs who were happy to host and help us.

The 5th tank of helium topping off the balloon


After testing all the equipment, verifying all the settings, and assembling the final parts of the capsule, we hit one big snag.  We had purchased two tanks of helium, totaling 140 cubic feet, giving us a healthy cushion (or so we thought) over the 115 c.f. that we should need to get the proper lift.  After depleting both tanks of helium filling the balloon, there wasn't nearly enough lift.  The tanks did not have the amount of helium they should have had, or we had a leak somewhere in the regulator.  Now we had a partially-filled ballon with not enough helium, and no way to call it off.  (Helium is EXPENSIVE these days!).  But without enough lift, we won't get to the burst altitude, and may not even clear the nearby hills and trees.  So with a last-minute panic call to the local Party City, we had found 7 consumer-sized 18 c.f. tanks available and raced to get them and return to continue the launch.

Tying off the balloon after filling
With enough helium FINALLY in the balloon to lift our test weights assuring the proper lift, we were finally ready... a few hours later than planned, but still with great weather.  We went over our final checklist, and finally cut our safety line holding down our balloon, and ran the payload into an open area to make sure it launched safely.  It did, and we watched it disappear into the coastal fog at around 3:00 p.m. today.  The ascent rate seemed just about right.  We jumped on the Pocketfinder site and got 5 or 6 updates on its location and altitude as it rose, but then, as expected, it rose above cellular range and we lost touch with it.  All seemed well, and it took off in the direction of the predicted path we had charted.  It was incredibly exciting to see it take off after all the work over the past months.

Now comes the chase... and the waiting.  With no more real-time updates arriving for around two hours, we have no choice but to head north across the Golden Gate Bridge, then continuing northeast into Napa county.  The prediction website has forecasted a landing at 5:00 pm, 2 hours after liftoff, landing somewhere around Yountville, north of Napa.  We're headed that way to be ready for the pocketfinder to make contact again after coming back down below 30,000 feet.  Fingers crossed!



Final Preparations

We are ready to go.

The capsule is completed, the cameras are charged and have fresh memory cards, the data logger has been tested, helium has been purchased, and launch sites have been surveyed and narrowed down.

Today, we did our final checks on the project. We drove up to Daly City, near San Francisco, and selected the launch site from three possible locations. We will be launching from Franklin D. Roosevelt Elementary School, as they have a nice open field with minimal trees and obstructions to hinder the early minutes of the flight. Our only concerns are that there may be a low fog layer according to the weather forecasts, but the balloon should be clear of that in a matter of minutes. We selected this location because, according to predictions made by the CUSF Landing Predictor, the balloon should fly right over San Francisco, capturing amazing views of the city and providing for a great first hour or so of footage.

Projected flight path
(Click to enlarge)


A few weeks ago, we picked up some helium from a welding shop for the balloon. We purchased 85 cu. ft., but soon realized that that wasn't enough, so we went back and got 60 cu. ft. more, for a total of 140 cu. ft. Our balloon should be filled to around 115 cu. ft., so we should have plenty.

We also realized that the 4 ft. parachute that we bought from Rocketman Enterprises was too small. We ran tests with a weight comparable to our capsule by dropping it off large buildings and filming it on the way down, and decided that it fell too fast, so we ordered the 5 ft parachute and sent back the old one. We ran tests with the new parachute, and it descended in a much more controlled manner.

It's the night before the launch, and we are excited for tomorrow morning. We are hoping to launch around 9 or 10 a.m., and if all goes according to the predictor, it should end up in Napa or Santa Rosa.

The balloon should rise at a rate of around 15 ft/sec, and will pop around 95,000-100,000 ft. The descent rate should be around 14 ft/sec, and the whole flight will last around 3 hours. We are hoping that our cameras will survive the whole flight, as the cold temperatures will significantly affect their battery life, but they will at least last the flight up, and if they do stop recording, it will be during the descent.

Tomorrow will be the fruition of several months' efforts, and we are hoping that those months will pay off. If all goes according to plan, the next update will be of the recovered flight footage. Stay tuned!



Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Capsule Completed

Click to see full-size picture
Well, the capsule is finally assembled. After multiple delays and setbacks, the final countdown has started. Depending on weather conditions, the balloon will be launched this weekend or the next.

The image above shows the final capsule in its assembled glory, but on launch day it most likely won't look so neat and organized, due to generous duct-taping to secure everything down. Velcro can only do so much.

Our only worry for this launch is that the holes we poked in the capsule for the Earth-view camera, the ZLog7 Temperature sensor, and the ZLog7 GPS Beacon will let too much cold inside, and the warmers will not be able to keep the data logger running. Other than that, we are extremely optimistic for our looming launch!



Monday, July 22, 2013

Almost There

After a month of being out of town and unable to work on Project Daedalus, we're finally back and making significant progress.

We found an awesome capsule to use for the project. The ULINE Insulated Foam Container fits all of our needs; it's insulated, it's got plenty of room, and it's very light! After receiving the container, we started to turn it into the Daedalus capsule.


Nice and organized in the capsule


Cutting out holes for the camera in the metal




Two cameras have been mounted on the container and a third one is soon to follow. We cut holes in the capsule for one Sony camera to stick out, and we secured the camera to the inside using a metal box.











Then, we took a U-hook and attached it to the top of the container. This will be used to secure the capsule to the parachute and the balloon.










Finally, we decided to secure another Sony camera to the outside using a helmet strap. Only the camera, without its waterproof case, can fit inside this strap, so we're hoping that the capsule doesn't land in a lake or pond.





Now we just have to weigh all of the components going inside the capsule in order to find out which parachute and balloon to order. The Project is nearly launch-ready!












Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Updates

Project Daedalus has been put on hold for a little while, as I have had finals, SATs, ACTs, and AP tests to study for and take. I am nearing the end of the school year, and the end of this year's standardized testing, and will be able to focus more on the project. I am rounding up the last remaining materials for the project; the cameras have been ordered, and the balloon and parachute are soon to follow. More updates to come!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Arrivals

The PocketFinder has arrived! Straight from our awesome sponsors at PocketFinder, this personal GPS is actually about the size of your wrist, and comes with a soft case (not pictured). Once charged, the device syncs with both the web and free mobile apps available on iOS and Android phones. One of the most useful features of the PocketFinder is the ability to set unlimited geofences on the device, so that when the locator ventures out of the area you specify, you will get a notification! The device can be controlled from either the web app or the mobile app, and the mobile app has all the same features that the web app has. Visit their website to learn more about all the awesome features it offers. We're charging it up right now, and are very excited to test and use this device in Project Daedalus!

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Regulating Daedalus

They don't want our project to collide with one of these.
So, our seemingly limitless project may have some government-imposed limits on it. The FAA and the FCC have teamed up to regulate space projects like this one. We have to meet these requirements if we want our flying space balloon to get anywhere off the ground. The main regulations that affect us are:


1. Cell Phones are not permitted to track high-altitude weather balloons in flight.

2. Payloads cannot exceed a package weight/size ratio of three ounces per square inch. *

3. No payload package can exceed 6 lb in weight.

4. Entire weight of all payloads cannot exceed 12 lb in total weight (Excludes weight of balloon).

5. No rope or cable should be used which requires more than 50lb of force to separate payload packages from balloon.

6. No one may launch a high-altitude weather balloon which creates a hazard to other people and property. (i.e. Incorrect parachute, faulty rigging, inappropriate launch location)

7. No one may use a high-altitude weather balloon to drop objects (i.e. gliders and projectiles).

* Determined by dividing total package weight by the area in square inches of the smallest surface.

So, we don't need to worry about most of these requirements. We're not using a cell phone to track our project (Thanks PocketFinder!), so we're already 1 for 7. Our payload is going to be much lighter than 6 lbs so that our balloon can actually lift it all the way to the upper atmosphere, which takes care of #3 and #4. 3 for 7.  We checked with the balloon company, and the balloon rope definitely does not require 50 lb. of force to separate from the payload. We would also have a very hard time recovering the cameras in the payload if it required 50 lb of force to separate from the ropes. We will triple-check our payload, the parachute, and the balloon to ensure a safe and quick flight up and down, so hopefully we won't be creating any hazards (#6). We're definitely not dropping any objects from our balloon, and the package will be guided down by the parachute, so #7 is taken care of. 6 for 7. Basically, we just have to make sure that (final net weight) / (final area) ≤ 3, and we will meet all the regulations!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

The Master Plan

You may ask, how will this project work?  Well, here's the basics:  Start with a commercial-grade weather balloon...  not something for a birthday from Party City or the local toy store, this is a serious balloon that carries scientific equipment.  Once we get ourselves one of those, we're going to hook it up to a payload: a rugged-but-light container (a.k.a. foam beer cooler) that will carry our cameras and gear.  A parachute will be attached between the balloon and payload.  Now, we fill the balloon with enough helium to get the lift strength we need to get to a certain altitude. The balloon will be lifted up, and if we have enough helium and a light enough payload, it should get to about 90,000 to 100,000 feet, the top of the atmosphere, with the cameras taking video the whole time.


This is roughly what the project will look like in action
Well, that's cool and all, but how is it going to come down?  If we have enough helium in the balloon, and it gets to the above-mentioned height, it's reaching the point where there's basically no atmosphere left... so, do you remember your high school physics?  Balloon filled with gas, rising and reaching decreasing atmosphere (pressure) outside the balloon = balloon expands until... "BOOM"...  balloon bursts, payload and parachute start falling back to earth, parachute opens when there's enough air under it, and... the whole contraption (minus the balloon that graciously gave its life for our project) falls gently back to earth. Hopefully. This whole flight, from launch to landing, should be about 2-3 hours.

Then what?  Well, we go find it.  Fast. There's a bunch of cool cameras and gadgets in there, which people may like and decide to keep (assuming the payload has not become a flattened pile of foam and expensive electronics).  Our sponsors are counting on us to recover and publish some awesome footage of the upper atmosphere and space, and if the cameras they paid for are missing, then we will have hell to pay.

So, we will track it with the on-board GPS, and try to stay roughly under where it is during the flight (courtesy of the PocketFinder, which will broadcast its location until it reaches the far reaches of the atmosphere, and then resume its broadcasts on the way back down).  Hopefully, this will lead us to its eventual landing site.

Assuming everything else goes as planned, the "where" factor of the landing is the big worry.  It could land in water, high up in a tree, on the roof of a shopping mall, in the courtyard of a maximum security prison, in restricted secret government areas, on top of a mountain, or in many other places difficult or inadvisable to get to.  We have to pray and hope the wind brings it down in a nice field of grass a few yards from a quiet, isolated country road, or at least somewhere we can get to it without rappelling gear and assault weapons.

So IF it went up and flew over terrestrial obstacles, IF the cameras and gear worked properly at high altitudes and extreme cold temperatures, IF it gets to burst altitude rather than just hovering for days and traveling around the planet a few times, IF the parachute opens properly on descent, IF it lands safely and relatively softly, and IF said location is somewhere accessible, IF we get to it before someone else finds it, and IF the cameras have substantive footage, then we're going to have one kick-ass video from SPACE. What could possibly go wrong? 

Tuesday, April 2, 2013

ZePost about the ZLog7R

The ZLog7R.   Look at that display.   Fancy.
Well, we just found an awesome sensor rig to send up into the atmosphere. The Hexpert Systems ZLog7R is designed specifically for high-altitude balloon projects, and it records:

  • Altitude
  • Temperature
  • GPS Location
  • Atmospheric Pressure
So, yeah, we're kind of a big deal now. Real science and everything. This will set us back about $140, stretching our budget even further, but I'm placing the order tonight. Only the best for the Daedalus.

Sensors + Sponsors + Science. The possibilities are endless.


Saturday, March 30, 2013

The Phantom Excitedness (alternatively: Hopefully we won't be sued for these Star Wars references)

We're getting close to physically launching the project! Parts have been ordered, and the Daedalus Team can barely control themselves in apprehension for this awesome balloon. How awesome, you say? Well, on a scale from 1 to AWESOME, it's sitting at approximately Indiana Jones status right now. (give or take 5 points, of course.)

Friday, March 22, 2013

Return of the Daedi

We're back, with a sponsor!!! The only way we can express our happiness is through nonsensical punctuation, since pure text simply won't cut it.


(    ͡°   ͜ʖ   ͡° )


The PocketFinder
^ This is basically how we feel right now. While researching the parts needed for this ambitious project, we knew we had to include a GPS tracker to find the payload. Many of the GPS systems we researched were bulky, power-hungry, and expensive. Luckily, we found one amazing product and company that suit our needs perfectly. The PocketFinder is a tiny little device that will update web and mobile apps in real time with its coordinates, distance, speed, altitude, and more! PocketFinder is graciously letting us use one of their devices in our project, and we recommend this useful product to anyone doing similar projects.
http://www.pocketfinder.com/how-it-works/
More posts coming soon!



Friday, March 15, 2013

The Empire (doesn't) Strike Back

The budget spreadsheet has been completed, for the time being. Although the total estimate is more than what we had originally anticipated, the project can still continue smoothly without too much worry. Hopefully we can find some generous sponsors to offset the cost! The Project team is, well, pumped, to say the least. We are all extremely excited that we can actually bring this idea to fruition, and be able to see space, not just from pictures from some satellite or lowly Hubble space telescope (amateurs). but from our own personal space-camera apparatus, with picture quality that will blow those other government-sponsored projects out of the water. However, there is no water in space, so we guess that they will be blown out of......the cosmos? Yeah, that sounds much cooler.
We're hoping to see images similar to this one from the project

Thursday, March 7, 2013

A New Hope

Space is cool! I always wanted to see space, but it's pretty tough when I don't have an extra $200,000 laying around. I wish there was some way to extend my eyes in order to see out of the blue-tinted sky above us.....

I'VE GOT IT!!

I will send a portable eye into space using a balloon and a parachute.

Hopefully, we'll be gathering images like this one.
Impossible, you say? Nay, skeptical fellow, not impossible. In fact, it's the goal of the Project Daedalus team: to fly a camera into space in order to photograph our planet from above and see the curvature of the Earth. We here at Project Daedalus have always been fascinated with space and what exists past the Earth's atmosphere, and believe we have found a way to see what does exist beyond the vague blue ceiling above our heads. The budget spreadsheet has been started, and more updates will follow.