Overview and Mission Statement

Company

Request for Proposal

Name of report 2

Overview and Mission Statement

Mission Statement

The mission for team ‘Hang Seven’ is to design, build, test, and launch a BalloonSat. The primary objective will to be analyze the effectiveness of materials on their ability to block gamma radiation. The materials we are choosing to test are carbon fiber and aluminum. Out of these two materials we predict that aluminum will better shield from gamma radiation. Our balloonsat will ascend to 30 kilometers above the earth’s ground, measuring the levels of radiation throughout the trip with one sensor and compare it to the information retrieved from two other sensors, each with their own protective material.

Mission Overview

In any manned mission, whether within the atmosphere or in space, human safety is of utmost importance. As altitude increases so does exposure to radiation of all kinds; on a typical passenger aircraft traveling approximately 12,000 meters, the amount of radiation exposure will be double that on the ground.[1] Radiation in itself can be a lethal force, only 35 rad (.35 gray) of absorption will cause negative health effects. As you increase in altitude, much of the Earth’s natural protective cover such as cloud cover, atmosphere, and the ozone layer are lost.

Project Aether, named after the Greek mythological god of upper air, proposes to find a correlation between radiation levels and altitude. Our experiment also plans to explore the gamma-blocking properties of two different materials to see which, if any, decreases radiation exposure by a significant amount. We will use this information to help determine what could be used as a radiation shield in future air and space flight. The Balloon Satellite shall reach a height of 30 kilometers and shall have a mass of less than or equal to 1.125 kilograms. The mission will launch on December 1, 2012, weather permitting. Team Hang Seven will be using an Arduino Uno micro controller to measure and control the payload of three Geiger counters. One for a control test and two for testing the effectiveness of materials in limiting radiation exposure.

The materials we have chosen to test are carbon fiber and aluminum, as they are used in commercial airplanes.[2] This data will be compared to the control so we can determine which of the two materials is the most plausible solution as a radiation deterrent. Radiation increase with altitude proposes potential health risks once a certain exposure level is reached. By comparing the gamma readings from the control sensor with the increase in altitude of the payload, we can determine this limit. From there we can test the effect of the protective materials to see if they are a viable solution as a defense against human radiation exposure during flight.

RFP Requirement

Our team will meet the requirements of this Request for Proposal by splitting the proposal among team members. Each team member will be responsible for sections of the proposal. Our team will maintain a schedule on when sections need to be completed, while maintaining a high level of quality. Each of the submitted sections will be revised and edited by the team members. This way the sections of the proposal are in agreement with all the team members.

We also intends to meet all the requirements by addressing each of the guidelines specifically and independently, as to meet the criteria of each section. If one member of the team fails to complete a section or it is evident there was little time spent on the proposal, the team members will address the person, asking for a higher contribution. Finally, our team plans to meet all the requirements by reviewing the finished project. During this stage we will check to make sure each requirement is met and addressed specifically while also adding in vital information about our project.

Technical Requirements

Design Overview

Our proposed idea of measuring the radiation versus change in altitude will be achieved by using Geiger counters and altimeters to measure each variable. These instruments will be placed securely in our satellite as seen the figures above. We plan to discover how each material (carbon fiber and aluminum) shields gamma radiation by interpreting the data from the Geiger counter using a program on the Arduino. From the information we receive we will be able to decide which material is most effective in shielding gamma radiation.

Specification Diagrams

Design

Aether shall be made with foam core, in a hexagonal shape, in accordance with the diagram. This was chosen due to the centripetal force that will keep the Balloon Sat equipment on the side of the satellite as it hurtles towards the earth. The design will protect the equipment from the whip effect as well, where the burst of the balloon will cause a swinging effect on Aether and the other payloads. The satellite shall be measuring gamma radiation, and will therefore have three Geiger counters along with the power and recording equipment for this test. We will make the Geiger counters ourselves by following a schematic that uses disposable camera flash units and Geiger tube obtained online.[3] One Geiger tube will be not covered by any material, another will be covered with an aluminum tube, and the last will be within a carbon fiber casing. This will allow us to determine which, if any, material blocks radiation the best. Team Hang Seven will stick the listed components and the wires connecting them to the sides with hot glue and Velcro. All parts of the satellites will be subjected to testing and modified accordance to the results of the test.

Safety

To ensure that team members are not in any danger at any time during the building and testing stages of our balloon satellite, we will take the necessary precautions to promote the safety of the team. When working on the project teammates must work in pairs or multiple members to make sure that there is always someone there to help if there are any problems or injuries. While working with dry ice, gloves will be worn, sleeves will be recommended, and a proper container will be used to prevent any injuries to the team. During the testing stage all team members must stand at least 10 feet away from the payload while one member will cautiously preform the whip test, drop test, and stair test. Safety goggles will be worn when dealing with soldering, dry ice, or any other dangerous materials.

Recovery of Data

While conducting our experiment during the duration of our flight we will be collecting data from our Geiger counters. This data will be collected using an Arduino and SD card. While conducting the experiments the Geiger counters will be transmitting data to the Arduino where the program will then transfer that data to the SD card. The Geiger counters are used to record the data of radiation in space and we will just need to take the data and put it into a storage device. This process will be done through Arduino programming and wired connections. The retrieval of data will be done throughout the whole mission. Upon landing the SD card and Arduino will be extracted from the balloon satellite. Our team will then plug the SD card into a program and decode the data for our results. From our results we will develop our conclusions.

Block Diagram

Testing

Throughout our design and planning phase, team Hang Seven will need to run our satellite through a variety of tests to make sure it is in proper working order for the mission. We will test the integrity of our box through a series of assigned tests such as the whip test, drop test, kick test, hardware tests, and power tests.

The whip test will test the balloon satellite’s ability to resist g-forces that the box will experience during descent. This test will be performed by attaching a string to our box and swinging the satellite to see how the satellite reacts to the g-forces. These tests will allow us to make structural changes to the satellite and the connection to the flight string so it can survive the mission.

The drop test and kick test is used to test the integrity of the box. This test will be performed by filling our satellite with the required amount of weight and dropping the satellite from 30+ feet. The kick test will be performed by kicking our satellite down a flight of stairs. This test will simulate the forces that the satellite will experience upon landing. The results of this test will also help us discover any flaws in our design. If any flaws are found we will be able to fix them and make our box stronger before the day of our mission.

Tests will also be applied to the science aspect of our project. One test will be a structural test on our Geiger counters to make sure they do not come apart easily under small amounts of stress. This test will confirm that counter can transmit data while the satellite is being tossed around during the flight. Experiments will also be administered on the Arduino and Geiger counters to make sure the wiring and data retrieval functions correctly. The HOBO will tested in the same fashion to ensure all hardware functions properly.

Other tests will also include a cold and heat test. This test will experiment with how our satellite reacts to extreme temperatures. Results from this test will prompt us to change the satellite if we need to insulate it from the cold or correct it if gets too hot from the heater.

Lastly, we will implement a power test on our balloon satellite. This test allows us to discover how long our battery life is and if our balloon satellite can continue to conduct experiments throughout the duration of the mission. This test will also be used in conjunction with the temperature tests to see if the battery life increases or decreases with temperatures.

All of the testing is implemented to simulate the possible forces our payload will experience on its mission. If there are any problems our team will want to address them before the launch. As a result we will hopefully strengthen and improve a payload that can handle all the possible extremes.

Management and Cost Requirements

Schedule

This is the schedule for Team Hang 7 from the day of our founding to the satellite launch, which is on December 01, 2012 at 6:50 am in Windsor, Colorado, weather permitting. This is our plan, but due to unforeseen circumstances these dates can be subject to change as the team sees fit.

Date / Meeting /
09/13/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
09/17/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
09/18/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm) (Design Complete)
09/24/2012 / Create Proposal (8-10pm)
09/27/2012 / Review Proposal Meeting (10-12am)
09/28/2012 / Turn in Proposal (4pm)
10/01/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
10/02/2012 / Presentations Due (7am)
Conceptual Design Review (9:30-10:45pm)
Team Meeting (8-10pm)
10/05/2012 / Authority To Proceed (9am-3pm)
10/08/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
10/09/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
10/15/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm) (Acquire all hardware)
10/16/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
10/18/2012 / Rev A/B and pCDR Presentation Due (7am)
Pre-Critical Design Review (9:30-10:45am)
10/22/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
10/23/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
10/29/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm) (Prototyping Design Complete)
10/30/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
11/05/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm) (Testing Final Design Complete)
11/06/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
11/12/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm) (Cold Test Design Complete)
11/13/2012 / DEMO – In Class Mission Simulation Test
Team Hours with Chris (5-8pm)
11/19/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
11/20/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
11/26/2012 / Team Meeting (8-10pm)
11/27/2012 / Launch Readiness Review (9:30-10:45am)
Team Meeting (8-10pm)
12/30/2012 / Final BalloonSat Weigh-in (8am-1pm)
12/1/2012 / BalloonSat Launch (6:50am)

Team Biography

Name / Team Role / Address / Email / Phone Number /
Abbigail Caballero / System Engineer / 9008 Bracket Hall Boulder, CO / / (720) 436-1423
Nikhil Desai / Software Modification and Camera Programmer / 9010 Crossman Hall, Boulder, Colorado / / (719) 338-5151
Chase Goodman / Thermal / 9031 Aden Hall Boulder, Co / / (719) 310-6544
Ethan Hollenbach / Materials Acquisition Manage Budget / 9023 Crosman Hall, Boulder, CO / / (719) 963-1362
Rebecca Lidvall / Manufacturing and C&DH / 9127 Andrews Hall, Boulder, CO / / (303) 416-0366
Lucas Migliorini / Science and Ground Ops / 9009 Crosman Hall Boulder, CO 80310 / / (303) 919-4271
Paul Smith / Structural Design and Power / 9027 Hallett Hall Boulder, Co 80117 / / (720) 233-6277
Sierra Williams / Project Manager and Systems Engineer / 9016Brackett Hall, Boulder, Colorado / / (720) 251-1838

Team Hang Seven

Becca Lidvall was born in Wheat Ridge, Colorado, on August 29, 1994. She is a freshman in aerospace engineering at University of Colorado Boulder. She graduated in the Top 10 of her class at D’Evelyn High School after spending her senior year as the National Honor Society president. Along with enjoying math and sciences, she plays both soccer and basketball. Coming from the great state of Colorado, she loves to ski and spend a whole day cooking out in the parking lot between runs. She enjoys anything athletic, good music, and being with friends.

Abby Caballero was born on January 15, 1994 in Greeley, Colorado. She spent the majority of her life in southern Idaho and graduated from Rimrock Jr. Sr. High School in 2012. She is currently an open option engineering student at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She became interested in engineering as a freshman in high school when she took an introduction to engineering course in high school. In her free time, she enjoys baking, kayaking, and snowboarding.

Nikhil Desai was born on November 27, 1993, in Baltimore, Maryland. He has lived in Colorado Springs for most of his life and graduated from Rampart High School in 2012. He currently attends the University of Colorado at Boulder, majoring in aerospace engineering. Nikhil likes to make friends, play guitar, and build/ tinker with objects in his free time. He knows programming from building iPhone Applications and starting his own business, as well as knowing how to teach himself new things.