Introduction to the LA ACES Student Ballooning Course

1. Introduction to the LA ACES Student Ballooning Course A summary of the motivation, contents and status of the materials available to support implementing a student built balloon payload program at a university or college SBC Overview

2. Motivation • There has been little development of classroom materials to support the student built aerospace payload program. • No materials for an integrated course • Need to cover diverse topics • Need to complete in academic year • Focus on younger undergraduates • Work with ~2nd year students • Available “CanSat” electronics needed improvements • Provide basis for an advanced program Launch of the ACES-01 vehicle during May, 2003 SBC Overview

3. Basic SBC Structure • Divided into two major components • Formal lectures and skill building activities (1st semester) • Payload design, development and operation (2nd semester) • Detailed structure follows that used during the ACES pilot • Assume 14 weeks per semester • Two required sessions per week and each session is 2 hours long • For 1st semester each required session includes ~1 hour lecture & ~1 hour activity • For 2nd semester students are engaged in payload development • Students will need to complete or extend their activities during times beyond the required sessions • During payload development the students will need to prepare and present reports of their status SBC Overview

4. Anticipated Schedule SBC Overview

5. SBC Contents • A course syllabus • Provides a summary of the Student Ballooning Course • Can be modified to fit institution needs • Lectures • 33 PowerPoint presentations covering the primary topics relevant to the program • Activities • 30 descriptions of hand-on activities that complement the lectures and build skills relevant to payload development • List of materials necessary for the activities • A hardware kit with the PCBs, microcomputer and other core components required to support the activities • Evaluation forms • Feedback from both students and instructors is important SBC Overview

6. Student Ballooning Course Summary SBC Overview

7. Electronics Unit • Unit provides basic knowledge and skills in electronics • Lectures & activities include • Electronic components • Prototyping & assembly techniques • Circuit design CAD tools • Data acquisition, ADC, DAC • Power sources, batteries, photovoltaic • Troubleshooting circuits SBC Overview

8. Programming Unit • Unit provides basic knowledge and skills in programming • Lectures & activities include • Intro to PBASIC & programming • Digital I/O • BalloonSat development board • Serial I/O • Memory storage, RTC, controlling motors • Testing and debugging SBC Overview

9. Payload Design Unit • Unit provides basic knowledge and skills in payload design • Lectures & activities include • Balloon vehicle components • Flight profile & environment • Thermal issues • Mechanical drawing techniques • Design guidelines • Flight Readiness Review details SBC Overview

10. Project Management Unit • Unit provides basic knowledge and skills in management • Lectures & activities include • Project life cycle • System design & interface control • Defining project tasks & cost • Developing a project schedule • Risk & risk management • Documentation • Team work and leadership SBC Overview

11. SBC Hardware Components SkeeterSat is an introductory circuit assembly activity where the output beep frequency is temperature dependent and the interval between beeps is light intensity dependent BalloonSat includes a Basic Stamp microcontroller for programming activities. Can also be used as the payload controller HOBO data acquisition device with internal temperature sensor, external temperature probe and auxiliary input Miscellaneous Parts includes specialized components & sensors used by some activities The SBC distribution CD also includes numerous reference documents and specialized software SBC Overview

12. Science Unit • Unit provides some background knowledge on selected science topics • Anticipated lectures include • Atmospheric structure & composition • Cosmic rays & their interaction in the atmosphere • Remote sensing • Solar radiation • Opportunity to use local faculty expertise • Contributions are solicited and would be very welcome! Processed cosmic ray data from the ACES-01 FRED experiment SBC Overview

13. New for this year • For this year we will be asking you to determine your science payload topic within the next week or so. • Lecture next session will provide descriptions of potential payloads. • All will fit within the imposed weight, power, size, budget and time constraints • Intention is for you to choose a payload from this list • Free to determine your own payload, but you will need to show that it will fit the constraints • Think about applications to your payload while we go through the lectures and activities this semester. SBC Overview

14. Issues concerning the SBC All lectures and activities are available through the LaACES website “Documents” page http://atic.phys.lsu.edu/aces/Presentations.html Any issues concerning the SBC can be addressed to T. Gregory Guzik e-mail: guzik@phunds.phys.lsu.edu Or John P. Wefel e-mail: wefel@phunds.phys.lsu.edu SBC Overview