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Unmanned Spaceflight.com _ Private Missions _ BallastHalo 4 - Long duration balloon flight from UK (13/2/10)

Posted by: james_coxon Feb 10 2010, 02:23 PM

Hi UMSF users,

Just to say that we are planning a long duration balloon flight to be launched this Saturday (13/2/10) from EARS, Cambridgeshire, UK at 15:00UTC. The flight is part of a series of flights to test ballast tank concepts which will eventually be used on a trans-atlantic flight that we are in the process of designing and constructing. Unlike normal flights (up, burst, down) we'll attempt to get the balloon to float at an altitude of ~ 20km by placing a pinhole vent in the balloons neck and also careful launch to correspond with sunset once we reach altitude. Once the payload achieves float it will test the ballast tanks releasing 100ml out of a total of 500mls, this should cause the payload to start ascending again and will either continue to burst or resume floating just at a higher altitude (and then we'll dump again) therefore providing some more info into this phenomenon of floating but more importantly showing that the tanks and pump work in this extreme environment.
Downlink will be in the form of a 434.073Mhz 10mW transmitter which will be broadcasting RTTY (50baud, 350shift, ASCII-8, no parity, 1.5stop) data including position, altitude, ascent rate, float time, internal temperature, pump temperature, external temperature, external light intensity and ballast volume. There will also be a backup beacon broadcasting CW on 434.075Mhz.
Current forecasts have the balloon traveling W from Cambridge then turning S passing into the channel above Portsmouth and then onto France.

As in previous flights if you want to follow the flight the track will be displayed on http://spacenear.us/tracker and chat will be on #highaltitude on irc.freenode.net

If anyone has a a 70cm SSB capable radio roughly along the flight path and would like to help out please get in touch as we need as many listeners as possible especially in France - I'm sure Doug will be listening - attempting to break his last Rx record of 420km

For more information see http://www.pegasushabproject.org.uk/wiki/doku.php/missions:ballasthalo:ballasthalo4 , at the bottom of the page is the current flight trajectory. Updates will also be on twitter http://twitter.com/jamescoxon

James
M6JCX
http://www.pegasushabproject.org.uk

Posted by: djellison Feb 13 2010, 03:41 PM

This launched about 15 mins ago, I'm set up and ready to listen in here in Leicester, but not yet hearing anything.

Posted by: djellison Feb 13 2010, 04:17 PM

False start - the launch ended prematurely. Hopefully James will be trying again soon!

Posted by: james_coxon Feb 19 2010, 10:32 PM

Hey all,
Time to try again! - 20/2/10 - 15:00UTC from Churchill College, Cambridge

Main Tx: 434.070Mhz, 10mW RTTY 50baud, 350shift, ASCII-8, no parity, 1.5stop

Predicted flight path: http://bit.ly/9kC80E
Follow on: http://spacenear.us/tracker/
More info on : http://www.pegasushabproject.org.uk/wiki/doku.php/missions:ballasthalo:ballasthalo4

James
M6JCX

Posted by: djellison Feb 19 2010, 11:02 PM

I'm not going to be able to make the start of it - but should hopefully be home and listening by about 4pm

Posted by: djellison Feb 20 2010, 05:12 PM

Well - I'm listening - but sadly it lost GPS lock after about 2km, so we're just getting temps back from it. Concurrently listeners from Holland, and here in the UK.

Posted by: djellison Feb 20 2010, 07:49 PM

Holy cow - the GPS came back to life

http://spacenear.us/tracker/

If we're really lucky, it might just make land fall in Holland!

Posted by: djellison Feb 20 2010, 08:34 PM

Recently reported at 51.8716,4.7891 at about 2km - should touch down in about 6 mins time

Posted by: ElkGroveDan Feb 20 2010, 09:03 PM

If that is accurate, it came really close to some really large transmission lines.

Posted by: james_coxon Feb 24 2010, 07:30 AM

Just an update, BH4 has been recovered by PD3EM - check out his website for more details http://www.pd3em.com

Will fix problems, rebuild and launch again as BH5 relatively soon!

James M6JCX

p.s. a normal launch today 24/2/10 10:00UTC - Nova 17, follow on http://spacenear.us/tracker/

Posted by: Astro0 Feb 24 2010, 09:38 AM

So close to a 'splashdown'...! http://www.pd3em.com/files/images/DSC00102.preview.jpg

Maybe a case for waterproofing the next balloon payload.

Posted by: djellison Feb 24 2010, 11:39 AM

Listening to Nova 17 right now. Two payloads, a Badger 2 board, and a Badger Cub board.

Screenrecording of me listening to the Badger Cub : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QJvldislmk

Posted by: Stu Feb 24 2010, 03:07 PM

You flew a Badger Cub?!?! How cruel is that???

("Hello? Is that the RSPCA? I'd like to report....")

Posted by: djellison Feb 24 2010, 03:58 PM

The derivation is the CUSF guys wants a british leather-patched-blazer version of the Lo-Mart 'Skunkworks'. Hence 'Badgerworks' and the Badger Board, v2, Badger 2, and the TINY version, Badger Cub
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~cuspaceflight/wiki/doku.php?id=badgercub

Nova 17 landed fine, has already been recovered. I got more than 300 packets ( I think! ) - Awesome clear downlink from 110-130km away, from when it reached 4km, to about when it dropped back past just over 3km.