[HSIS] Fwd: Maker 256 launch

[Jeff Cotten]

FYI


---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Ethan Chew <spacefelix at gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 2:54 PM
Subject: Re: Maker 256 launch
To: wb8elk at aol.com
Cc: brimstone at the.narro.ws, omegix at gmail.com, nayaksatyam at gmail.com


Got it,

      We'll be on standby for that day and will follow you tracking to get
flight experience.

             - Ethan


On Tue, Apr 6, 2010 at 2:09 PM, <wb8elk at aol.com> wrote:

> Ethan and all,
>
>   No guarantees on being able to fly this weekend along with the UAH
> students....I'm the person to ask in that regards and we probably won't know
> for sure until the morning of the launch...my recommendation is to bring the
> payload to the NSSTC at 9 am this Saturday morning, talk to me and see if
> there is any room.....if not and if there is enough helium, I'll bring a 600
> gram balloon and will fly your payload with my balloon and parachute after
> we get the students off the ground....but only if there is enough spare
> helium left in the tanks.
>
> - Bill
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ethan Chew <spacefelix at gmail.com>
> To: wb8elk at aol.com
> Cc: brimstone <brimstone at the.narro.ws>; Jeff Cotten <omegix at gmail.com>;
> nayaksatyam at gmail.com
> Sent: Tue, Mar 30, 2010 8:43 pm
> Subject: Re: Maker 256 launch
>
> Hello,
>
>       The people working on our systems are as follows:
>
> Brimstone - Matt (brimstone at the.narro.ws) - Is working on tracking via
> cell phone and his laptop with GPS coordinates.
> omegix - Jeff Cotten (omegix at gmail.com) - Has been coordinating with J&M
> Cylinder in Hartselle for our helium on launch day.  He will be able to
> provide the details for where to find us on launch day.
> BendersGame - Satyam (nayaksatyam at gmail.com) - Is working on the camera.
>
> In the meanwhile, our mailing list can be subscribed to at:
> http://lists.makerslocal.org/mailman/listinfo/hsis
>
> Our project's wikipage is at:
> https://256.makerslocal.org/wiki/index.php/HSIS
>
> Thank-you for your recommendations!
>
>                   - Ethan
>
> On Tue, Mar 30, 2010 at 4:07 PM, <wb8elk at aol.com> wrote:
>
>> I can be at your proposed April 3rd launch as long as UAH is not
>> flying...so far I think they are not, let me know when and where...my radio
>> ground station and the barn where I often launch balloons is at my
>> farmhouse on Wilson Mtn just east of Hartselle if you want to consider that
>> as a launchsite....I'll bring my balloon GPS tracker and a very tiny 18 gram
>> video camera that costs $59...it's the size of a small thumb drive...I flew
>> it last weekend and it worked up to 33,000 feet with no insulation or
>> external battery...will insulate this time with a small external battery
>> pack. I did some still frame captures of the video and it looks quite
>> acceptable. I'll send you some results of that tonight.
>>
>> The cellphone tracking is doomed to failure except for it's use as a
>> backup recovery position report if you're lucky enough to be near to a cell
>> tower and if the cellphone payload is not laying on the ground. The advice
>> offered by the MIT students does not work well due to the very nature of the
>> cellular telephony. I'll bring the GPS ham radio tracking equipment that
>> I've designed...weighs about 10 ounces....same goes for many GPS
>> receivers...most do NOT work above 60k feet....I use ones that do work there
>> and there are only a few that work. I'll include a FindMeSpot GlobalStar
>> tracker...it's main use is in backup landing site confirmation but it does
>> plot the flight up to 60k feet every 10 to 20 minutes....it usually comes
>> back to life when it parachute back below 60k.
>>
>>
>> We flew an 8th grade science fair camera project last weekend with a $150
>> Tachyon XC helmet cam....it did great...one of the photos can be
>> viewed here:  www.nearspaceresearch.com
>>
>> Hand warmers are needless weight...they need oxygen to operate (so don't
>> work in the stratosphere) and sometimes causes enough of a temperature
>> differential to fog up the camera.
>>
>> I'll bring my balloon filling equipment and a parachute.
>>
>> Are you flying with helium or hydrogen?...makes a big difference in the
>> regulator as I don't have a hydrogen regulator...you also have to use
>> grounding precautions for hydrogen.
>>
>> I can run landing site predictions...I wrote the original Balloon Track
>> prediction program that's now on the web at :  www.nearspaceventures.com
>>
>> There is a new camcorder the size of a keychain holder on eBay for $11
>> (with shipping)....might be able to use that...when I get it in will test it
>> on a flight in the next couple of weeks....we're doing multiple launches at
>> UAH on April 10....you all are welcome to attend these.
>>
>>
>> Let me know more particulars on when you want to fly this and payload
>> weights you are considering flying.
>>
>> - Bill Brown
>> 256-656-7189
>>
>>
>
>
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