Transcript Team Name
Amanda Kuker, Blake Firner, Diana Shukis, Jordan Dickard, Michael Lotto, James Bader. 10-06-09 Mission Statement The BalloonSat Photon Phinder will be sent to an altitude of approximately 30,000 meters to collect scientific data that will measure the intensity of light emitted from the sun at different altitudes in the atmosphere of the Earth and compare it to the current output of a modern photovoltaic cell. The satellite will also measure the temperature (̊ C), pressure, and x/y axis acceleration at different altitudes. Mission Objective The data collected will aid scientists in determining the optimal altitude to maximize solar cells performance. This will aid in research for future renewable energy sources. As more research is done regarding the state of the environment on the Earth and as fossil fuels are being depleted, the need for renewable energy has become a priority among the leaders of the world. For years, solar cells have been used as a source of renewable energy, but never in sufficient quantities or with great enough efficiency. A need for more productive solar energy is the basis for this experiment. The data collected will reveal if/where the optimal altitude is for maximum efficiency of solar cells by comparing solar cell efficiency against altitude and atmospheric conditions, along with the ambient light intensity. Determining the best altitude for solar cell efficiency will lead to future advancements in the renewable energy, paving the way to a practical solution. Hypothesis As a result of this mission the team will have an understanding of the changing light intensity throughout the atmosphere. The team will also understand the current output of solar cells at varying altitudes. The team expects to use this data to discover a specific altitude at which the light intensity is greatest and the solar cells are most efficient. The team expects that as the satellite ascends through the layers of the atmosphere the light intensity will be greater therefore making the solar cells more efficient. In addition, the team expects the solar cells to be more efficient above the ozone layer because the solar cells won’t be shielded by that protective layer of the atmosphere. Expected Results The team expects the satellite to drift while in flight and therefore be recovered somewhere in Eastern Colorado. The team will test taking data on the ground before the actual flight. Recording experimental data and practicing the retrieval and analyzation of it will help the team to be prepared for work with the actual flight data. Goal (G1) Mission Objectives (from Goal) O1 Constructed with the ability to operate at an altitude of approximately 30,000 meters, the BalloonSat shall be built with a budget of $100 and a launch date of November 7, 2009. O2 The BalloonSat shall collect data to ensure the current output of solar cells is a function of altitude in the range of approximately 1,400 meters to 30,000 meters above sea level. O3 The BalloonSat shall collect data to quantify the ambient light intensity as a function of altitude in the range of approximately 1,400 meters to 30,000 meters above sea level. Objective Requirements (level 0) O1A The BalloonSat shall be constructed by October 27, 2009 for a full mission simulation while being $2.38 under budget for scientific equipment. O1B The BalloonSat shall be a rectangular prism constructed of foam core, hot glue, and aluminum tape as the main structure. This will contain all hardware the system will rely upon. O1C The BalloonSat shall be constructed at the University of Colorado at Boulder and launched in Windsor, Colorado. O1D The BalloonSat shall function for approximately 2.5 hours and reach an altitude of approximately 30,000 meters. The expected useful data shall be found in the 90 minutes of ascent, which will be compared to the control of 10 minutes before and after flight. O2A The timeline for data collection for the BalloonSat shall begin at t-minus 10 minutes before launch through tplus 10 minutes after touchdown. O2B A pair of 2.54 cm x 4.445 cm solar cells shall represent solar cell efficiency by providing a current to be analyzed compared to altitude. O2C The pair of solar cells shall be located on the top of the satellite at opposite ends and shall be wired to a current sensor to convert the solar cell output to an analog signal compatible with the AVR microcontroller. O2D The pair of solar cells shall begin collecting data at t-minus 10 minutes, through 135 minutes in the air, and end after 10 minutes past touchdown. O3A The timeline for data collection for the BalloonSat shall begin at t-minus 10 minutes before launch through tplus 10 minutes after touchdown. O3B The 1 cm x 1.2 cm light intensity sensor shall measure and convert light intensity into equivalent frequency. O3C The light intensity sensor shall be located on the top of the satellite and wired directly to the AVR Microcontroller. O3D The pair of solar cells shall begin collecting data at t-minus 10 minutes, through 135 minutes in the air, and end after 10 minutes past touchdown. System Requirements (level 1) O1A i: A detailed schedule with key milestone dates shall be created to ensure the deadline is met. ii: Furthermore, the full system shall be tested and simulated with a full mission test ensuring system integration. O1B i: A detailed design and diagram of the BalloonSat structure with positioning of all hardware shall be created. ii: The acquisition of all necessary materials to build the structure shall enable the creation of the BalloonSat. O1C: i: All hardware construction shall be done at the University of Colorado, using the equipment provided by the university. ii: On November 7, 2009 the BalloonSat shall be launched from Windsor, Colorado during the early morning. O1D: i: Brand new, fully charged batteries shall be used to power the systems within the BalloonSat. Two 9V batteries will provide power to the AVR Microcontroller. Three 9V batteries shall provide power to the heater. Two AA batteries shall give power to the camera. The light intensity sensor shall draw power from the AVR Microcontroller. ii: The AVR Microcontroller will be programmed to store date for the entire duration of the flight with an extra 10 minutes of data storage before and after the flight. O2A i: The AVR Microcontroller shall be programmed to take an analog reading from the solar cells once every 65 milliseconds. O2B i: Two 2.54 cm x 4.445 cm solar cells shall convert solar energy to equivalent current, which will then be converted by an ACS712 Breakout current to analog convertor to send a voltage output to be read and stored by the AVR Microcontroller. O2C i: To secure the solar cells to the top of the satellite on opposite sides, hot glue will be used and complemented with aluminum tape. The ACS712 Breakout sensor shall be secured adjacent to the AVR Microcontroller to minimize extensive wiring. O2D i: To ensure 2.5 hours of data retrieval, three 9V batteries shall be used to power the heater to maintain operational temperature while two 9V batteries shall be used to power the AVR Microcontroller. The solar cells shall require no power source to transmit a current. O3A i: The AVR board will be programmed to store an analog reading provided by the Light Intensity sensor once every 65 milliseconds. O3B i: One light intensity sensor shall convert light to an equivalent frequency. The sensor shall be wired directly to the AVR Board, which shall read and store the data provided by the sensor. O3C i: The light intensity sensor shall be embedded and hot glued into the foam core between the two solar cells and adjacent to the flight tube. O3D i: To ensure 2.5 hours of data retrieval, three 9V batteries shall be used to power the heater to maintain operational temperature while two 9V batteries shall be used to power the AVR Microcontroller. The light intensity sensor shall draw power from the AVR Microcontroller 5V output slot. Design Overview Our satellite will be constructed of foam core and metallic tape. Within the satellite will be an AVR microcontroller board, a heater, a digital camera, temperature and pressure sensors, light intensity sensors, and solar cells, along with all the required wiring to connect the different hardware components. There shall be two input signals into the AVR Microcontroller. One shall be from the 2 solar cells while the other shall be from the Light Intensity Sensor. To supply voltage to the light intensity sensor from the AVR microcontroller, the light intensity sensor shall draw 5V from the board, which is fortunate since the optimal operating voltage supply is 5V. Parts The solar panels, light intensity sensors, and analog to current sensory needed for our mission were ordered on 9/29/09 and are expected to arrive the week of 10/04/09. The mission will be maintained by staying with the scheudle. The structure and systems will be tested for their ability to function properly with the AVR Board. After the mission, the data collected will be analyzed and the relationship between altitude and officiency of solar cells will either be confirm or reject the hypotheses. Dimensions: Satellite: 228.6 x 177.8 x 152.4 mm Camera: 45 x 75 x 90 mm AVR Microcontroller: 20 x 80 x 110 mm Active heater: 10 x 50 x 50 mm HOBO: 68 x 48 x 19 mm Batteries (x5): 48.5 x 26.5 x 17.5 mm (per battery) Diameter of Guide Hole: 6mm (inside) Solar Cells: 25.4 x 44.45 mm Light Sensor: 10 x 12 mm Hardware Code Ordered From: Small Solar Panels (0.5V 100mA) Sundance Solar 70011305-11 Website: Quantity http://store.sunda 10 ncesolar.com/ Total Cost $40.75 Light Intensity SENto Frequency IC 08940 SparkFun Electronics https://www.spar kfun.com/ 4 $25.13 ACS712 Breakout SparkFun Electronics https://www.spar kfun.com/ 3 $31.13 Total Budget: BOB08882 $97.01 Item Quantity Cost Dry Ice ($1.19 /lb) 15lb $18.00 Batteries (9V) 20 $70.00 Wiring 75 ft $10.00 Total $98.00 These will be funded out of pocket by the team and are not part of the supplied budget . Hardware Weight Small Solar Panels 40.0 g Light Intensity Sensor 5.00 g Analog to Current Sensor (ACS712 Breakout) 20.0 g HOBO H08-004-02 30.0 g Cannon A570IS Digital Camera 220 g AVR Microcontroller Board and Batteries 150 g Active Heater System and Batteries 100 g Structure (foam core, glue, aluminum) 60 g Total Weight: 625 grams Team Meetings Class Presentations Launch Extra Date 9-12-09 9-13-09 9-15-09 9-19-09 9-29-09 9-27-09 10-04-09 10-07-09 10-08-09 10-10-09 10-14-09 10-15-09 10-10-09 10-17-09 10-18-09 10-24-09 10-27-09 10-29-09 10-29-09 10-31-09 11-03-09 Day SAT SUN TUES SAT TUES SUN SUN WED THUR SAT WED THUR SAT SAT SUN SAT THUR THUR THUR SAT THUR Time 10:00 AM 3:00 PM 5:00 PM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 3:00 PM 10:00 AM 8:00 PM 9:30 AM 10:00 AM 8:00 PM 11:00 AM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 10:00 AM 9:30 AM 9:30 AM 8:00 PM 10:00 AM 9:30 AM Objective Mission Proposal Build AVR Microcontroller, Camera, and Heater Complete Mission Proposal Build Satellite Structure and Complete Design Review Order Materials Program AVR Microcontroller, Camera, and Heater Complete Critical Design Review Rev A/B Begin Constructing Structure of Satellite Present Critical Design Review Rev A/b Complete Structural Construction Begin Critical Design Rev C Ground Testing of Solar Cells and Light Intensity Sensors Structural Testing of Satellite (Cold, Whip, Kick, and Drop Tests) Program Light Sensors to AVR Board Sub-Systems Testing Complete Satellite Parts Installation and LLR Pre-Launch Inspection Mission Stimulation Test Complete Critical Design Review Rev C Complete Final Testing of Satellite Launch Readiness Review and Present Critical Design Rev C 11-03-09 11-06-09 11-07-09 11-14-09 11-18-09 11-21-09 12-01-09 12-05-09 THUR FRI SAT SAT WED SAT TUES SAT 8:00 PM 2:00 PM 6:50 AM 10:00 AM 8:00 PM 10:00 AM 9:30 AM 9:00 AM Final Team Meeting prior to Launch Final Balloon-Sat Weigh In and Turn In Launch Day Data Analysis Complete Critical Design Review Rev D Complete Team Presentation and Report Final Presentation and Report ITLL Design Expo Structural Tests Whip Test Drop Test Kick Test Stair Test Cold Test Imaging Test Sub-system Tests Solar Cells Heater HOBO Light Intensity Sensor Analogue Current Sensor Functional Test Mission Simulation Whip Test The structure with the simulated mass of 1 kg will be tied will be connect to a flight string similar to the one that will be used during flight and will be swung and whipped around to test if whether or not the system will be able to withstand the g-forces during the dissent after the balloon bursts. Drop Test The structure with the simulated mass of 1 kg will be dropped from progressively larger distances from the ground to test if whether or not the structure will be able to survive the impact of the force from the dissent of the flight as well as the impact of the landing. The structure will be dropped from distances increasing by increments of 5 meters until the total distance of the fall reaches 30 meters. Kick Test The structure with the simulated mass of 1 kg will be kicked repeatedly to test if the structure can withstand the impact of the wind and other objects that may collide with the structure in either part of the flight time. Stair Test The structure with the simulated mass of 1 kg will thrown down a set of stairs to test the durability of the structure and whether or not it can stay intact if any objects should collide with it during either the ascension or dissension of the flight. The fully developed structure will be tested for its ability to function and survive during extreme lack of heat. The test will simulate the temperatures of near space conditions. The structure will be placed in a container of dry ice and will be isolated in the container for a period of 60 minutes which is equal to the time expected that the structure will be in such conditions. The camera will be put under a series of tests with increasing relevance to the mission. First, the camera will simply be connected to the AVR Board and will be tested for its compatibility with the board as well as if it can operate for the allotted 2 and a half hours which is the expected time that it will be required to meet the experiment’s objectives. While it is running, it will be tested for its ability to take pictures after each allotted interval of time. Next, the same process will be done in the actual structure to determine if it will take the pictures during flight. Lastly, the camera will be tested in the near space conditions simulated during the cold test. Solar Cells We will test the solar panels in several ways. We will have to test how they will function in low temperature environment. We will do this by exposing the panels to dry ice for a period of time and observing and recording the functionality of the panels after the drastic temperature change. This will provide us with information as to whether or not we need to find a way to provide to heat our solar panels. We will also test the panels to make sure they absorb light correctly before using them on the satellite. Finally, we will test the attachment of the panels to the structure of the satellite by putting it through harsh physical tests. This is necessary to ensure the panels do not detach from the satellite during launch. In addition, we will test the solar cells efficiency on the ground so that we can compare it to the efficiency values during the flight and determine the altitude of maximum solar efficiency. Finally, we will test the voltage output of the solar cells and predict the maximum output to determine whether or not a voltage divider is needed. Heater HOBO We will test the efficiency of the heater under normal conditions. We will also test how temperature affects the efficiency by testing the heater in a box of dry ice. This will help us determine how reliable our heater is. We will do tests to make sure the device functions properly under normal conditions. We will then test its durability in low temperature conditions by exposing it to dry ice. Light Intensity Sensor The light intensity sensor will be connected to the programmed AVR Board and will be tested for its compatibility with the AVR Board and will collect data about the light intensity on the ground to simulate the flight. This collection of data will last for the allotted 2 and a half hour expected flight time. Analogue Current Sensor The current sensor will be connected to the AVR Board and calibrated with known current values. This will also allow us to fix any flaws in the integration between the sensor and the board. It will also be tested for 2 hours to ensure it will collect data for the entire flight time. Functional Test The entire system in the structure will be connected to the AVR Board will be tested to see if the whole system will function properly together for the allotted 2 and a half hours. Mission Simulation The system will be completely activated and will be tested to see if all the switches will work for and can be powered for the allotted time period of 2.5 hours. As a result of this mission the team will have an understanding of the changing light intensity throughout the atmosphere. The team will also understand the current output of solar cells at varying altitudes. The team expects to use this data to discover a specific altitude at which the light intensity is greatest and the solar cells are most efficient. The team expects that as the satellite ascends through the layers of the atmosphere the light intensity will be greater therefore making the solar cells more efficient. In addition, the team expects the solar cells to be more efficient above the ozone layer because the solar cells won’t be shielded by that protective layer of the atmosphere. The team expects the satellite to drift while in flight and therefore be recovered somewhere in Eastern Colorado. The team will test taking data on the ground before the actual flight. Recording experimental data and practicing the retrieval and analyzation of it will help the team to be prepared for work with the actual flight data. Recovery Technological Malfunctions Overcast Weather Will collect limited data until the BalloonSat rises above the clouds. “Knowledge is the antidote to fear” -Ralph Waldo Emerson