[HSIS] Fwd: Maker 256 launch

[Ethan Chew]

Mr. Brown has the following comments for us:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <wb8elk at aol.com>
Date: Tue, Mar 30, 2010 at 5:07 PM
Subject: Maker 256 launch
To: spacefelix at gmail.com


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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