Gateway to Space ASEN/ASTR 2500Fall 2010
Colorado Space Grant Consortium
Gateway to Space
Fall 2010
Design Document – Revision A and B
Team Big Green SpaceGasm
Written by:
Hillary Beltran, Edward Crawford, Nicole Harris, Edward Lowe, Emily Proano, and Kevin Wong
04 October 2010
Revision A/B
Table of Contents
1.0 Mission Overview
2.0 Requirements Flow Down
3.0 Design
4.0 Management
5.0 Budget
6.0 Test Plan and Results
7.0 Expected Results
Team Big Green SpaceGasmPage 1 of 12August 23, 2010
Clean Air ProjectRevision A/B Rev A
Gateway to Space ASEN/ASTR 2500Fall 2010
1.0 Mission Overview
The Big Green SpaceGasm (BGSG) mission is to take measurements of select greenhouse gases in order to document the quality of air in form of the concentration of harmful gases between the launch site altitude and approximately thirty kilometers. We are measuring, specifically, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane gas.
Team BGSG chose to study carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane because these gases are three major air pollutants in the atmosphere and can have adverse effects on people’s health. The team also chose these three gases due restrictions we faced with resources. These three sensors were readily available to our team at affordable prices, whereas the team was unable to find sensors for other known air pollutants, such as nitrogen oxides and sulfur oxides.
Carbon monoxide is toxic to humans because carbon monoxide molecules bind themselves to hemoglobin in red blood cells more efficiently than oxygen. This prevents oxygen from being transported throughout the body. According to the Canadian Center for Occupational Health and Safety, methane, when present at high concentrations – above fifty-thousand parts per million – acts as an asphyxiant, which displaces oxygen in the air and cause symptoms of oxygen deprivation. In reference to Science Daily – an online periodical – carbon dioxide, while the gas does not directly one’s health, does cause temperature and water vapor to rise, which then traps and increases ground-level ozone concentrations. Ozone, in turn, acts as an irritant and can harm one’s respiratory system.
Team BGSG decided to investigate the proposed mission objective because of the team’s interest in the quality of the air. Given recent developments and the transition to more environmentally sustainable resources and fuel options, as well as the recent forest fires in Fourmile Canyon, Colorado, Loveland, Colorado, and Grand County, Colorado, the team is interested in seeing any changes that may have occurred over the past few years. The data the satellite records during the flight will be compared with the data documented by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Air Pollution Control Division. Since the implementation of more environmentally friendly resources was not instigated until recently, team BGSG expects to find the same or increased concentrations of each gas. Team BGSG believes not enough time has passed for the effects of this transition to be fully felt. Otherwise, despite the stagnant or increased concentrations of each gas, the relative quality of air is still healthy and safe.
The experiments that will be run during the flight of our payload will be to take readings of the concentrations of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane gas as the payload travels through the different layers of Earth’s atmosphere. Once the mission is complete, the team will retrieve the data from the payload and plot a graph of the concentration of each gas against the altitude in which the reading was taken. This will give the team insight into how the concentrations of gas vary with altitude. This may potentially be significant in the final data analysis, but the team would have to deduce the significance of any changes that are measured during the flight at any altitude. And more importantly, the team would be able to compare the data it retrieved with that of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Air Pollution Control Division, so that team BGSG may determine the effects of the world’s transition to more environmentally sustainable resources. The data collected by this sensor suite duringits maiden flight can be used as the standard from which to compare data recorded from future flights. This would help the team monitor the developments of the world’s transition to more environmentally sustainable resources and fuel options, as aforementioned.
2.0 Requirements Flow Down
The following table outlines the requirements that must be met in order to ensure a successful mission flight. The top level requirements are derived from the general mission requirements and must be met in order to meet mission and science objectives. The lower level requirements are derived from the top level requirements and are more directly related to the mission objective of team BGSG.
Level / Number / Requirements0 / 1 / Payload must ascend to an altitude of approximately thirty kilometers with a balloon provided by the Edge of Space Sciences
2 / Payload must collect and store science data related to the mission objective
3 / The internal temperature of the payload must remain above -10°C
4 / The total mass of the payload must not exceed 850 grams
5 / The payload must allow for a HOBO H08-004-02 and the provided external temperature cable
6 / The payload must allow for a Canon A570IS Digital Camera with two AA lithium batteries
7 / The payload must carry an active heater system
8 / The payload must be constructed from foam core
9 / The payload must have contact information written on the external of the payload, alongside an United States flag
10 / The team will be ready to launch on November 6, 2010, at Windsor, Colorado, at 6:50 AM.
11 / The team shall adhere to all safety procedures outlined in the proposal
1 / 1 / Payload must remain attached to the flight string during the mission
2 / The payload will carry carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane gas sensors to record the concentrations of each gas at different altitudes
3 / The entire payload, including all electrical components and structural materials, shall weigh 760 grams
4 / The HOBO H08-004-02 shall measure and record measurements of internal and external temperature and relative humidity with the provided external temperature cable during the mission.
5 / A Canon A570IS Digital Camera will take and store images during the flight.
6 / Program the Arduino microcontroller with the integrated development environment using the Java programming language
7a / Interface the carbon monoxide gas sensor to the Arduino microcontroller
7b / Interface the carbon dioxide gas sensor to the Arduino microcontroller
7c / Interface the methane gas sensor to the Arduino microcontroller
7d / Test the functionality of the gas sensors individually and then test the functionality of the sensors integrated together on the Arduino microcontroller by placing the sensors behind the exhaust pipe of a running automobile that belongs to a member of the team.
8 / Provide the necessary power to each electrical component and ensure that the recorded data is being properly stored
9 / Create a structure that can withstand the forces and extreme temperatures experienced during flight
3.0 Design
The team shall meet all general mission requirements by following protocoloutlined in the following passage. First, by measuring three different atmospheric gasses, the team has created additional experiments and shall collect additional science data and analyze said data. The team will also collect and analyze scientific data provided by theCanon A570IS Digital Camera; carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane gas sensors; and the external temperature cable included with the HOBO H08-004-02. The internal temperature must be kept warmer than -10o C and shall be maintained through the use of the required heater, foam core and insulation. Weight requirements will be adhered to though careful planning and forethought, calculating in the weights of the required camera, HOBO, heater. As of now, the weight is below the requirement at 760 grams. General mission requirements related to budget shall be adhered to through following the budget plan laid out by Emily Proano. The budget plan laid out shall include spare parts and all hardware ordered shall be ordered through on ProfessorChris Koehler’s University of ColoradoMasterCard by appointment in order to make purchases easier and to limit reimbursement paperwork. Any additional purchases made and paid by team members shall have receipts and shall submit reimbursement papers within sixty days or purchase or will be subject to income taxes. Prior to launch on November 6, 2010, at 6:50 AM, team BGSG will place Gateway to Space contact information and a United Statesflag clearly and visiblyon the exposed portion of the structure of the payload. All of the team members will be in attendance for launch because the team shall have practiced all of the safety precautions laid out by Nicole Harris, assuring that no one will be injured. Though only one team member is required to be at recovery, it is safe to say that the whole team hopes to be there and hopes to have completed launch and recovery by 3:00 PM. The balloon satellite shall be built out of the provided foam core and shall be sturdy enough to survive the violence of burst and reentry and remain attached to the string during normal circumstances, thus returning largely undamaged, functioning and able to fly again, and guarded against injury due to damaged and falling balloon satellite. The payload will also be connected to the flight string using a non-metal tube through the center of the structure so as not to damage the payload or interfere with the flight string. This will also allow the team to return all hardware to the Gateway to Space Program in working order at the end of the semester. After launch and the return of hardware, team Big Green SpaceGasm will create a final report including video footage of our processes, successes and failures.
Some of the limitations of our design will be whether or not our heater system will be able to adequately heat the electrical components. Given that our gas sensors will be directly exposed to the atmospheric environment and have a minimum operating temperature of -20°C, the heater system must heat the gas sensors so that the sensors can function while also providing adequate heat to the microcontroller and HOBO. With the limitations caused by heating, the system may require additional heaters to provide the necessary heating, which then requires addition power and increases the mass of the payload. This then creates a possible limitation on the weight capacity of the sensor suite.
3.1 Required Hardware
Most of the hardware required for this experiment is not provided. We plan to order all required hardware online mainly from SparkFun.com, however other materials such as dry ice and batteries will be purchased wherever we can get them for the cheapest.
- Arduino Duemilanove ATMega328 Microcontroller Board purchased from Spark Fun Electronics for $29.95 at
- Arduino Board with USB interface to run Java written software in order to collect and store data from camera and sensors.
- CO2 sensor purchased from Spark Fun for $19.99 at
Measures carbon dioxide from levels of 350ppm to 10000ppm.
- CH4 senor purchased from Spark Fun for $4.95 at
- Measures methane gas from levels of 200 ppm to 10000ppm.
- CO sensor purchased from Spark Fun for $4.95 at
- Measures carbon monoxide from levels of 20ppm to 2000ppm.
- microSD card will be purchased at cheapest price from (~$10)
- The Breakout board for the microSD card with microSD slot purchased from Spark Fun for $14.95 at
The microSD card will fit inside the slot on this breakout board in order to store data. Special open source Arduino code will enable us to read and write to this SD card. - Our Prototype Board for voltage control and sensors will be purchased from Spark Fun for $4.50 at
- Resistors and voltage accessories will be borrowed from the Colorado Space Grant Consortium
3.2 Systems Integration
We will turn our design into a satellite first by creating the basic structure. Another challenging task in our building process will be the microcontroller, prototype board, and sensors. In order to complete this task, our team must learn about basic electrical circuits and how to solder. Once our hardware is completed as designed, we will test it by creating software to be loaded onto our AVR that will control how the sensors collect data, control how data is stored, and maintain a stable environment on the AVR (by writing efficient code with minimal processing time). Software will be created in an Arduino Java development based environment. Also, other available open source software will enable us to run further tests on the satellite hardware. We will then run further tests to test the physical properties of the satellite in order to ensure everything stays safe on the trip to near space and back. Using these tests, we will make necessary changes to our software and hardware based on the testing results in order to ensure our satellite is ready to be sent into space to run our experiments successfully.
3.3Illustrations of Structure
3.4Functional Block Diagram
The diagram below shows all connections that will be made within the balloon satellite, for both power and data. Each type of component is color coded. Power supplies are green, data storage is blue, switches are white, sensors are red, AVR components are yellow, and components that are supplied are orange.
3.5 How to Turn our Design into a Satellite
We will turn our design into a satellite first by creating the basic structure. Another challenging task in our building process will be the integration of the AVR, prototype board, and sensors. In order to complete this task, our team must learn about basic electrical circuits and how to solder. Although nothing will be directly soldered to our Arduino due to the external pins on it, soldering will still be necessary for our integrated prototype board. All sensors will be placed on our prototype board that will also include resistors to correctly power those sensors. Once our hardware is completed as designed, we will test it by creating software to be loaded onto our AVR that will control how the sensors collect data, control how data is stored, and maintain a stable environment on the AVR (by writing efficient code with minimal processing time). Software will be created in an Arduino Java development based environment. Also, other available open source software will enable us to run further tests on the satellite hardware. We will then run further tests to test the physical properties of the satellite in order to ensure everything stays safe on the trip to near space and back. Using these tests, we will make necessary changes to our software and hardware based on the testing results in order to ensure our satellite is ready to be sent into space to run our experiments successfully.
4.0 Management
The Big Green SpaceGasm team of the Clean Air Project (CAP) consists of six engineers: Kevin Wong, Edward Crawford, Hillary Beltran, Emily Proano, Edward Lowe, Junior, and Nicole Harris. Hillary and Emily, shown in yellow, will be responsible with the construction of the structure and thermal subsystems of the balloon satellite. This includes ventilation, temperature stabilization, and impact tests. Edward Crawford, shown in orange, and Kevin, shown in blue, are responsible with programming and integrating the electrical components of the satellite. Responsibilities include testing electrical components, software modification, and soldering. Edward Lowe and Nicole, shown in green, are responsible for collecting, storing, and retrieving the data, as well as the means of powering the satellite. Their responsibilities include wiring the satellite, integrating an efficient source of power, and how to efficiently use that power.
4.1 Schedule
The following is a detailed schedule of the Big Green SpaceGasm (BGSG) schedule for the next three months until launch day on Saturday, November 6, 2010, at 6:50am at Windsor, Colorado. While the schedule provides a detailed agenda for the upcoming assignments and deadlines, the schedule is tentative and prone to revision if unforeseen complications arise.
Date / ScheduleSeptember 10, 2010 / Team meeting (5:00pm – 8:00pm)
September 12, 2010 / Team meeting (3:00pm – 5:00pm)
September 14, 2010 / Complete Request for Proposal (RFP)
September 15, 2010 / Complete Conceptual Design Review (CoDR)
September 16, 2010 / Turn in RFP and give presentation on CoDR
September 19, 2010 / Team meeting (4:00pm – 5:00pm)
September 21, 2010 / Turn in order form for electrical components and spare parts
September 21, 2010 / Receive electrical components
October 4, 2010 / Begin programming the Arduino on the integrated development environment (IDE); code, interface with the Arduino, and test CO sensor; begin communications tests; begin power tests
October 5, 2010 / Design Document Revisions A/B and Critical Design Review due at 7:00am
Pre-Critical Design Review presentation (CDR)
October 6, 2010 / Drop, roll, and whip test
October 8, 2010 / Code, interface with the Arduino, and test the carbon monoxide sensor
October 10, 2010 / Cooler test
October 11, 2010 / Code, interface with the Arduino, and test the carbon dioxide sensor
October 18, 2010 / Code, interface with the Arduino, and test the methane sensor
October 22, 2010 / Integrate electrical components and structures and perform all of subsystem tests to assess the functionality of the system as a whole
October 25, 2010 / Final testing completed; final satellite completed
October 26, 2010 / Pre-launch inspection
October 28, 2010 / In-class mission simulation test
November 2, 2010 / Design Document Revision C and Launch Readiness Review (LRR) due
November 5, 2010 / Final satellite weight-in and turn-in
November 6, 2010 / Launch day (5:00am – 4:00pm)
November 30 – December 2, 2010 / Final team presentations and reports
December 4, 2010 / Integrated Technology and Learning Laboratory (ITLL) Design Exposition
5.0 Budget
The team budget shall be maintained by Emily, who will carefully document all purchases going towards the construction of the balloon satellite in an Excel spreadsheet. Initial hardware prizes shall be minimized by comparing various options and choosing the most cost-effective choice for the purpose. Team Big Green SpaceGasm shall make appointments with Professor Koehler to review purchases before they are made to guard against reimbursement problems. Within 48 hours of purchase, receipts will be turned in with our team name and a Gateway order form copy.