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Surfing Satellites  |
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Surfing Satellites |
| Launch Date | 16 August 2008 |
| Launch Time | 9:42:30 AM (13:42:30z) |
| Launch Site | Sandusky County Airport (41.2992N 83.0365W) |
| Landing Site | West of Lemert, OH (40.8970N 83.0728W) |
| Maximum Altitude | 88,343 ft |
| Ascent Rate | 895 fpm avg. to burst |
| Descent Rate | 970 fpm avg. below 10k feet |
| Distance/Bearing | 28 miles/184° true |
Special thanks to Dave at NASA Glenn Research, Ted (W8KVK), and Stan (K8SRB) for setting up an I-gate on the primary tracking frequency.
| Successes | The Primary Tracking system, still camera, flight computer, I/O system, power
system, enclosures, and parachute operated successfully. The Primary Tracking system delivered error-free data through out the flight at high signal strength. The still camera recorded a total of 744 pictures from pre-launch to power down. The flight computer continued to operate despite the logging module failure. This is evidenced by the operation of the still camera which was under flight computer control. While the logging module failed before launch, there was about 50 minutes of data recorded on the ground. The data matches the appearance and format of bench top tests. The power system delivered power for over four hours. The enclosures appeared free of damage, and the internal temperature of each did not fall below 0° C. While we were not able to witness the landing, the GPS track of the descent indicates the parachute inflated and slowed the descent. |
| Secondary Tracking Errors | The Secondary payload, the redundant tracking system, failed to provide
accurate position information above 59,000 ft. Additionally, many transmissions
above that altitude contained errors. Upon review, the J-pole antenna's BNC connector had torn insulation, and an exposed and partially broken braid. At the landing site, the link lines were twisted. The hypothesis is that the J-pole antenna became tangled with the link lines as the payloads twisted relative to each other. The antenna was stressed causing the damage. Follow Up: Investigate alternative antenna configurations, investigate methods for securing the coaxial cable. |
| Tracking Antennas | Both antennas had torn insulation and an exposed braid. The hypothesis is that
there was a constant twisting action that the coaxial cable design does not
support. The Secondary payload antenna had additional stress as noted above. |
| Logging Module Failure | The logging module recorded for about 50 minutes before failing. In one test on the
bench to before the flight this had occurred as well. The hypothesis is that the radio frequency power affects the logging module operation. When Wave Catcher was weighed before flight, the antenna was placed on top of the payload. I made one test on the bench in an attempt to reproduce this. The logging module did not fail. Follow Up: Continue bench top experiments with the logging module. |
| Video Failure | The video camera failed to record the flight. The recovered video was blurry
and changed. The file recovery software mixed the launch video with that from a previously deleted video. The hypothesis is that the camera heated up and the Mode switch changed. In the all-up power test, this also occurred however the camera was lost. In both cases, the camera body was hot. The hypothesis is that the batteries heat up when recording video for an extended length of time. Additionally, the Mode switch may have changed following the burst. Follow Up: Provide ventilation to the video camera, secure the Mode switch. |
| Recovered Balloon | The weight of the recovered balloon was 33.2 ounces. This is almost 63% of the
balloon. While this did not affect this flight, the weight may affect the
parachute since it is tied to it. The separation between the balloon and parachute was a little over 12 ft. Follow Up: Investigate a cut away device. |
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| Black = Actual Path Green = Predicted Path Map made with MapPoint Prediction made with BalloonTrack |
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| Green = Ascent Red = Descent Maps by Google Earth Looking NW |
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| Green = Ascent Maps by Google Earth Looking East Towards Clyde, Ohio |
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| Red = Descent Maps by Google Earth Looking SE; Lemert, Ohio at lower right |
| Launch Site |
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| Predicted Landing Site |
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| Actual Landing Site |
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| Difference from Predicted to Actual Landing Site |
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| Primary (I-gate) | 144.80 MHz slotted at 25 seconds past the GPS minute; every 30 seconds; |
| Secondary (APRS) | 144.39 MHz slotted at 40 seconds past the GPS minute; every 60 seconds |
| Balloon Manufacturer | Kaysam |
| Balloon Type | latex |
| Balloon Size | 1500 gram |
| Neck Load | 2530 grams |
| Free Lift % | 20% |
| Parachute | 5 ft |
| Peak Altitude | 88,343 ft ASL |
| Launch Conditions | calm winds and a little haze |
| Primary Payload (Wave Catcher) 1865 g |
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| Secondary Payload 523 g |
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| Surfs Up 2 Flight Configuration | |||||||||
| The Surfs Up 2 image gallery contains photos of the launch and selected pictures taken by the on-board camera. | Surfs Up 2 Image Gallery |
| Flight KML | Surfs Up 2 KML |
| Flight Telemetry | Surfs Up 2 Complete Telemetry (txt) |
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| Altitude vs Time | Speed vs Altitude | Direction vs Altitude | Rate vs Altitude | Temperature vs Altitude | |
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