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!
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!
Hi Jeremy....it's Joe, from FDR RC guys.
ReplyDeleteI have a couple thought about what might have gone wrong. I assume the cell service in the rural where you received that last location is poor, so it may be possible that the last location is actually not the final location when the unit was on or near the ground. Does the last coordinate that the pocketfinder reported have an altitude associated with it? Is that altitude higher than the hills where your are currently looking? If it is, then my thoughts are that the lander was over the spot you were looking, but drifted since it had a ways longer to go before it hit the ground. If you check the weather website called "weatherundergound", you may be able to find a local weather station near your landing spot. This website has historical weather data and you can find out what the wind speed and direction was at the time it landed. With that data, you can start to look down wind in the direction the wind was blowing.... Just my thoughts...hopefully helpful...
regards and good luck! don't loose heart! It is out there.
Joe
Thanks Joe! We think you're right... we have also decided that it likely did lose cell coverage which explains why we got no update after it landed despite still having 46% reported battery charge. So it did likely drift further. That's not good news, as the "further" area along that trajectory is extremely rough, dense, and hilly. But we're not giving up.
ReplyDeleteWe hired a local pilot today to help us search the treetops... circled that whole area for over an hour and it's not in the tops of the trees, so it's on the ground, and we'll mount another effort with friends to do a grid search in the area next. Also thinking of asking the local boy scout troop if they'd like to join in the hunt and work on wilderness search and recovery skills along with GPS mapping and orientering.
Not giving up yet!
So, what happened? Did you guys find it? Really great project. I'm doing the same thing for around $500. Any suggestions?
ReplyDeleteSadly, we ended up not being able to recover the capsule or balloon. We are thinking about launching Daedalus Mk. II, but no plans have been set yet.
ReplyDeleteMy suggestions for your project would depend on your goals; for a first project, I would recommend a cheaper rugged camera such as the Drift HD720 (~$100, half the price of GoPro/Sony ActionCam) or an older GoPro model. If you would like multiple angles, a few cheaper point-and-shoot cameras with cases would be better, as not many rugged action cameras are under $200.
I think that Kaymont Balloons offer the best balloons, and that Rocketman Enterprises offer the best parachutes for this project. For a smaller-budget project, I would recommend a smaller balloon and parachute combination, as the capsule will not be as heavy.
Also, make sure you have MORE THAN ENOUGH helium. We thought we had brought enough helium for the balloon, but we had miscalculated, and during the launch we had to run to a nearby party supply store to get more helium.
Hope this helps! Keep us updated on your project.