N2EY wrote:

In article , Mike Coslo
writes:



Essentially we are building and launching "almost satellites". This is
a balloon launched payload that heads to around 100,000 feet or so,
conducting experiments for the duration.


Ever hear of this guy, Mike?

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/es...ters_and_Dared
evils/Kittinger/EX31.htm

Or this woman:

http://www.stratoquest.com/


Good links. I wish here luck, and his web pages are fascinating. I knew
of his record setting jumo, but the other info was new to me. What I
like is that picture of him immediately after jumping off the platform.
There's a pucker moment!


Quite seriously, I was making a mini pitch here on the newsgroup. To
think that I gave the entirety of my knowledge on the subject is, well,
wrong.


I kinda suspected that...

Besides, the 100,000 foot level is a goal, not something done on the first
flight.

As likely as not, the initial flights will be tethered. Those will
check out the functionality of the equipment. In fact, depending on the
launch day conditions, we may want to peak at decidedly less than
100,000 feet. Altitude is not strictly the goal.



The experiments vary. One of the favorite devices for the grade and
middle school kids is something called a pongsat. This is an experiment
that can be anything that will fit inside a ping-pong ball. Sounds
weird, but there are plenty of small scale experiments that fit the
bill... er, ping-pong ball.


The balloon lifts the payload to the predetermined altitude, and
bursts. The payload drops, and the Ham comms can continue during
descent, although the first few moments after burst can be pretty weird
as the payload often does some pretty strange gyrations until the
parachute can grab some atmosphere. Drops like the proverbial rock.


YEEEHAAAHHHH!!!!!


All this time, the GPS is keeping track of the whereabouts of the
payload. Then at landing, it turns into a foxhunt as the hams use the
beacon transmissions to find the payload. With the advent of us getting
used to the software and the precision with which the GPS can determine
the location, it is not too uncommon for the recovery team to witness
the landing.


Too cool.

Not even imaginable not too long ago.


With all due respect:

http://www.eoss.org/faq/faa_liaison.htm



And it can be done for surprisingly little money.


I suspect a lot of the cost if it were done by professionals would be in the
form of payrolls and benefits...

Big time. Volunteers are the heart and soul of the operation. People
that simply find this sort of thing fascinating.


The people that are needed are of course Hams, and people with some
programming experience. People with experience building things, and a
meteorologist can't hurt! People that don't mind a drive on a weekend
day to serve on the recovery team. Plenty of subteams, such as payload,
publicity, science, visualization, integration, education liaison. Even
people that might just want to feed all the other reprobates.


And people who might just want to make a donation of money or hardware.

Yup. I even have a few HT's to donate to the cause. Bought cheap at
hamfests.


Yes I have. I do this kind of stuff. Some years ago, I organized and
pulled off one of the premier star parties in the Northeast. That
actually took much more red tape than this project.

??

Why would that be?

The party is on state park land in the middle of a state forest. This
meant permits and waivers. This meant The group had to be incorporated
as a nonprofit corporation, with all the legal fees and paperwork
involved with that sort of thing. Compliance with all the park
regulations had to be made, with the exception of the exceptions that
had to be granted, in order to put the thing on. Proofs of insurance of
the correct kind had to be made. Electrical power had to be provided via
another group that owned poles on the property, which ended up with me
having to work with both the group and the local pupblic utilities.

It took me the better part of a year to prepare just that -
disregarding the details of the actual party.


The party is still
going on, although under the new management, it is not as profitable,
despite growing numbers of attendees.



http://www.eoss.org/index.html

http://www.amsat.org/amsat/balloons/balloon.htm

http://www.ansr.org/html/index.php

http://frodo.bruderhof.com/hambone/index.html

http://habitat.netlab.org/index.shtml

http://www.qsl.net/k8uo/UM201.htm

http://balloons.aero.und.edu/habp/

http://www.tc.umn.edu/~tjs//Balloons.html

http://cosmos.aeem.iastate.edu/HABET/

http://www.nstar.org/


oh man....I'm gonna be online a while....

Good luck, Mike. If nothing else, a lot of hams will contribute a few dollars
just to be a small part of it.

Thanks Jim. The initial flights will probably be scaled down proof of
concept ones.

- Mike KB3EIA -