Initial Questions v1 0
Version 14 (Juli Fowler, 10/19/2012 06:49 pm)
1 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | h1. Far Horizons Project Initial Questions v1.0 |
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2 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
3 | 5 | J. Simmons | Below is a list of questions and proposed answers to help define the requirements for this project retroactively. You can view the meeting minutes [[Meeting_1_-_Initial_Questions|here]] |
4 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
5 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q1. Why are we making this?* |
6 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
7 | 11 | J. Simmons | *A1*. Adler's original motivation for developing the *Far Horizons Project* High Altitude Balloon (HAB) program was to act as a gateway to developing "CubeSats":http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CubeSat. Adler's design is highly influenced by assistance from L. Paul Verhage and his "book":http://www.parallax.com/tabid/567/Default.aspx. The *Far Horizons Project* has the added benefit of providing educational opportunities to practice near space missions with students and enthusiasts which fits in with Adler's goals of "democratizing space exploration":http://farhorizonsproject.com/blog/about/. |
8 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
9 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q2. Who is this for?* |
10 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
11 | 14 | Juli Fowler | *A2*. The *Far Horizons Project* is for anyone who wants to build experience in the are of near space missions. This includes schools and school clubs, scouting troops, Makers and Maker Spaces. Adler's goal is to help groups get the experience to fly their own missions. |
12 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
13 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q3. How will this be used?* |
14 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
15 | 11 | J. Simmons | *A3*. The HAB provides a platform to carry scientific and engineering payloads (no more than 12 lbs of total vehicle weight with individual payloads of 6 lbs or less) to a near space environment (exposing the vehicles and payloads to very low pressures and temperatures, and radiation levels significantly higher than those experienced on the ground) for a duration on the order of a couple of hours. |
16 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
17 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q4. What features does it need to have (now)?* |
18 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
19 | 13 | J. Simmons | *A4*. The High Altitude Balloon needs to: |
20 | 7 | J. Simmons | |
21 | 12 | J. Simmons | * Operate safely throughout its flight |
22 | 7 | J. Simmons | * Operations should be flexible to deal with changing conditions on the ground (including adjusting for weight restrictions, winds, or other unexpected launch conditions) |
23 | 7 | J. Simmons | * The HAB needs to be trackable to facilitate recovery operations |
24 | 7 | J. Simmons | * The HAB needs to provide a soft landing |
25 | 7 | J. Simmons | * The HAB needs to support carrying experiment payloads (each payload container limited to 6 lbs) |
26 | 7 | J. Simmons | * The HAB total system weight must be under 12 lbs |
27 | 11 | J. Simmons | * The HAB should carry the payload to between 90 kft and 100 kft |
28 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
29 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q5. What features does it need to have (later)?* |
30 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
31 | 11 | J. Simmons | *A5.* Desired enhancements include: |
32 | 8 | J. Simmons | |
33 | 8 | J. Simmons | * Controlled descent system (guided landings using parafoil kite to either hit or avoid landing sites) |
34 | 8 | J. Simmons | * Live two-way telemetry (or command & control) and the ability to receive live experiment and operations data |
35 | 8 | J. Simmons | * Stabilized platform system (Adler is making progress on this one) |
36 | 8 | J. Simmons | * Alternative balloon configurations (zero-pressure, super-pressure balloons) |
37 | 8 | J. Simmons | * Alternate lift gasses (Adler uses helium right now) |
38 | 11 | J. Simmons | * A structure to hold the balloon during filling operations and to automatically stop the filling operation for the desired lift |
39 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
40 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q6. What are the legacy requirements?* |
41 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
42 | 11 | J. Simmons | *A6*. The HAB must comply with FAA regulations ("FAR 101":http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&rgn=div5&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.3.15&idno=14#14:2.0.1.3.15.4) |
43 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
44 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q7. Who's going to build this?* |
45 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
46 | 11 | J. Simmons | *A7*. Small teams (2-3 members minimum) of volunteers, students, and space enthusiasts. The designs are openly licensed so anyone can put together a team to build and operate a *Far Horizons Project* HAB. Note, while the technical requirements to build the HAB are small, an amateur radio license is required to run the tracking radios during missions. |
47 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
48 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q8. How many do we want to make?* |
49 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
50 | 11 | J. Simmons | *A8*. We expect teams will want to build one or more systems (the reusable components of the HAB) for their own use. Note, each mission requires the purchase of a new balloon envelope and lifting gas. |
51 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
52 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q9. What is the budget?* |
53 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
54 | 11 | J. Simmons | *A9.* The budget for a first flight (build and operation of one HAB) is $300. Future versions with more robust tracking and payload systems will require additional investment. |
55 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
56 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q10. What is the timeline?* |
57 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
58 | 11 | J. Simmons | *A10*. The first build by an outside group ("Quelab":http://quelab.net/wordpress/) is anticipated to take approximately 4 weeks. |
59 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
60 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | *Q11. What waste products will be produced by the manufacture and/or operation of this?* |
61 | 1 | Jeremy Wright | |
62 | 11 | J. Simmons | *A11.* Each flight will require the disposal of a latex balloon (part of which will be lost in the sky) and lithium batteries. Construction materials include "pink insulating foam". |