epics i final project

7/29/2019 EPICS I Final Project

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10-15-09

0.7 mm

Engineering Hall Annex

Golden, CO 80401

Project Managers:

Tamara Carey

EPICS

Colorado School of Mines

Golden, CO 80401

Subject: Project Plan

Introduction

Point Seven Millimeters is a team of engineering students from Colorado School ofMines with diverse backgrounds and specialties. We are a diligent and intelligent group of

people who implement teamwork, diligence, and innovation to complete our projects and goals

in a timely manner.

Project Definition

Lockheed Martin has designed many high-altitude vehicles that operate in the

Stratosphere mainly using solar energy. These vehicles use a lot of energy and current solar

collection methods have been deemed inefficient. The current methods for gathering solar energyonly utilize the absorbed, direct solar radiation, yet there are two types of albedo, white-sky and

black-sky, that are believed to be rich in energy. Our goal for this project is to design an

experimental device that will be balloon-lifted to measure the energy levels of these albedos inthe Stratosphere, 60,000 to 80,000 feet in elevation, and to determine what percentage of these

energy sources can be collected and employed on high-altitude vehicles.

Project Constraints

Our team plans to execute this project in the most efficient way possible while adhering

to all constraints. The design apparatus will collect and measure the solar energy of the twoalbedos and also the direct radiation while being able to sort it from one another using several

solar panels in different directions and also with the aid of a digital camera or video recorder.The various constraints the design are such that it must weigh less than 1.5 kilograms, and a

Dacron cord of 4.0mm must pass through a hole in the center of the instrument with the holes

diameter not exceeding 6.4mm. Also, on the balloon flight there will be many instruments beingflown and the default spacing is that of 1 meter. Our project design will remain within all of the

structural design requirements including the material, thermal, environmental, electrical, and


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structural systems that are specified in section 3 of the DemoSat User Guide. It shall also

include a National Instruments (NI) Single board RIO PowerPC based system supplied byLockheed Martin and undergo many rigorous structural and functional testing specified in

section 5 of the User Guide before it is to be deemed ready for flight.

Project Progression

Our team has already completed the creative phase of the design process. This phaseincluded identifying the projects needs, a clarification memorandum, defining the problem

given to us, a letter of understanding of the project, gathering data, and preparing the project

plan. We have achieved these things through numerous meetings in class and also duringextracurricular hours.

Project Designs

TaylorsOur diamond shaped design is very plausible and efficient. The diamond design allows

for view on all sides and protection for what impact may be ensued. The structure that was

chosen for this option was made out of aluminum, which we decided would be the best materialnot only because it is extremely strong but also it is lightweight and a relatively inexpensive. For

insulation we chose Aerogel because it is an extremely good insulator and it is also a really

lightweight which helps us get under the 1.5 kg limit. The inside of our diamond will havemultiple instruments that will help us not only measure the albedo but also the pressure,

temperature, solar energy, taking pictures and a data recording device. For the albedo and solar

energy we will be using solar panels, and for the pressure we will be using and altimeter. Fortemperature we will have a thermometer and we will have 3 digital cameras so we can get anoverall view of what it really looks like around the balloon. The camera will be set on a timer to

take a picture every 10 seconds so we can pinpoint the type of energy bouncing off the earth. The

data collector will also be simultaneously recording the temperature, pressure, and solar radiationso we can determine the optimal height for flight, etc. And in addition we will coat the diamond

in gold foil because of its great reflective properties. (Figure 1)

MarksThis satellite will be constructed in line with the Demostat regulations. The basic shape

that was chosen for this design is a cube. An addition to the basic cube is the tube on the left sideof the satellite. It is designed to hold the motor that will change the angle of the solar panel,which is positioned at end of the tube. The solar panel doesnt need to be large, just big enough

to collect the data of the albedo power. There will be three different angles for the solar panel to

be set at. One would be to collect the direct solar radiation, the other. The two two inch holes onthe bottom of the device are for the cameras to be set in. The cameras are recessed into the cube

so that the fisheye lenses dont get damaged when the payload hits the ground. The fisheye

lenses are designed to help get an overall view of the surroundings. With the reuse of this device


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in mind everything need to be able to withstand the requirements of the fall. Something that was

included in the design of this satellite is a heater. This will be to make sure that the componentsstay at their respective operating temperatures. Another item that will be included in the design is

the data collection device. This will be connected to the camera, altimeter, solar panels, and the

motor. The batteries are also a crucial part of this device. We need to bring just enough power up

to the stratosphere as we need. It would be optimal to use the power generated from the solarpanels to power the computer and the motor, but without knowing the exact amount of power

that the solar panels can generate, we cant depend on them as a source of energy. The motor will

need to be able to communicate the angle that the solar panel is pointed at so we can knowwhether we are collecting direct solar radiation or albedo. The auto leveling system is designed

to keep the device level with the ground at all times. In consists of a metal ball that in encased

with another metal surface. These two metal surfaces would be very low friction so that thepayload could swivel easily. This system is the most complicated system of the satellite. This is

our second design option which measures the white and black sky albedo as well as the direct

solar radiation. (Figure 2)

IansIn one of our proposed designs, our measurement device would be efficient in finding out

exactly how much solar radiation comes off from the albedo, both black sky and white sky. The

proposed shape of the entire device is a cube with chamfered edges between the sides so that

there is at least some aerodynamic shape to the casing. We do not have to worry too much aboutaerodynamics as our device will most likely be underneath other devices in the chain and will

definitely be underneath the balloon which the device chain will draft behind. Our solar panels

will be located on the lower and upper chamfered edges so we do not have to take in to account

blockage from the other devices that are below and above ours on the device chain. These will be

connected to the National Instruments (NI) Single Board RIO measurement device that isconfigured to measure amps running through the photovoltaic cells in the panels. The

photovoltaic cells will be measuring the black sky, white sky, and direct solar radiation. Ofcourse, the NI device will be located in the center of the case in a foam (or other impact resistant

material) envelope to keep the device from being damaged from impact with the sidewalls of the

case and to raise the insulative R value. This proposed design would also include a barometerconnected to the NI device to measure the altitude of the apparatus. This way we would be able

to correlate height of device vs. amount of solar radiation harvestable. Alternatively, we couldinclude a radio altimeter to correlate the two variables. The decisive factors in that issue will be

weight, size, and/or cost of each item. On the bottom of the payload, we will include a camera

that would take a picture of what we are measuring with the solar panels. In order to workaround the fact that there will most likely be a payload underneath ours, we will attach a fish-eye

lens onto our camera to get a 360 view of what we are measuring. These photos will be of use

when the data is being observed after the flight. It will help researchers identify spikes or troughs

or other phenomena in the height vs. solar radiation harvestable graph. We will program ourcamera and our NI device to take one picture/record data every 10 seconds to save battery and

memory. In order for our payload not to swing about during the flight (so our data doesnt have

to take into account changing angles with the earth), we will ideally have gyroscopes attached toour casing. These will act in the same way as a bike wheel keeps a bike up straight while


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spinning. The reason why there would be two is to assist the gyroscopes and help eliminate any

possibility of rotation around any axis. These two gyroscopes will spin in opposite directions sothat the device as a whole does not rotate around the Dacron cord. As a final consideration about

the temperature inside the casing, our casing walls will be lined on the inside with a similar foam

(lighter and with a higher insulative R value) and the outside will be coated with light gold foil to

reflect the heat back inside the device so it keeps its heat. (Figure 3)

Final Design

In the end, 0.7mm chose Taylors design as the final project design based on a lot of

reasons. The decision was based on feasibility. It will be the easiest to make, and will be veryeffective. Ians design was the best overall design but had too much that could go wrong with it

and it possibly would have been too much weight. His gyroscope was a great idea but that also

was one of the variables that could have been thrown off, because the motors could be spinning

at different speeds or the motors might just stop working. Ians design is too complicated for

what we are provided yet it is still a good and fascinating option. (Table 1)Marks design had potential but lacked certain necessities. For example, he proposed only

one solar panel, which would have made it very difficult to measure the albedo and the solarenergy. If we added another panel it could have thrown off the weight balance because the

weight is distributed so that the single solar panel can be detached from the box and rotate

according to certain measurements.Taylors design is fairly simple and the most feasible. It does not require many

components to keep it from falling off balance and it gets the job done over and beyond. The

type of information that will be gathered from this idea will exceed all expectations because ofits ability to measure so many different factors and it can take photos on three sides. It is

expected to also provide the most detail. The only drawback to this design is the expense. It willbe extremely costly to provide the Aerogel for the entire design but it is an expense we are

willing to spare.

Project Schedule

We are now in the critical phase of our project. This phase includes the definition ofsubsystem in which each team member will pick a subsystem of the project and describe the

system in great detail and work the logistics of that subsystem with the rest of the device (week

of Nov. 10). We will also be developing specifications in the critical phase. This will includedeveloping how each subsystem will actually fit together. The dimensions of the satellite will

also be determined during this stage(weeks of October 12th

19th

, 26th

). Analyzing feasibility is

another step in the critical phase. That includes determining if the project that has been designedis a possible and realistic solution to the problem (week of Nov. 3

rd). The subsystem analysis is

the next step and includes determining if the subsystems need to be changed to work better

together (week of Nov. 10th

). The next step is to develop a marketing stratagem. This will consist

of deciding how to propose and present the project to the client (week of Nov. 24th

). Preparingand executing the design plan, which is the next step, consists of putting together all the

subsystems and making the model of the design (weeks of Dec 8th

and 15th

). The final stage of


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our project will be the report and exhibition. This step includes presenting the project to the

client (week of the 15th

). We expect to complete our task by (week of the 15th). (Table 2)

Summary

This team is ecstatic to work on this project to better our understanding of albedo absorption and to

witness the applications of such knowledge in the near future. Thank you greatly for the opportunity toadvance our knowledge in the pursuit of better and stronger solar power.We feel very grateful to have thisopportunity to work for you and would like to take this time to ask your approval to proceed with our plan to

design and provide for you a representative model. Thank you so much for your time. We cannot wait to

begin working on this fascinating project.

Sincerely,

Jake Reece, Team Liaison

Team Point Seven Millimeters

[email protected](719) 287-2704


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Citations

Popa, Adrian. "Re: Why was gold colored foil on lunar landing

equipment?." madsci.org. 05 Jul 2001. madsci.org, Web. 15 Oct 2009..

Brain, Marshall. "How Gyroscopes Work."HowStu ffWorks. HowStuffWorks, Inc.,Web. 15 Oct 2009.

.

"NASA JPL Stardust." Aerogel . 01 Mar 2005. NASA, Web. 12 Oct 2009.

.

Hughes, C., M. Glavin, E. Jones, and P. Denny. "Wide-angle camera technology for

automotive applications: a review." Aut omotive Fish-Eye Lens. 04 Jul 2008. IET

Intelligent Transport Systems, Web. 15 Oct 2009..

"Barometer."HowStu ff Works. HowStuffWorks, Inc., Web. 12 Oct 2009..

"Aerogel." United Nuclear Scientific Equipment and Supplies. 2009. 2009 United

Nuc lear Scient ifi c LLC., Web. 12 Oc t 2009.

.

"NI Single-Board RIO Embedded Systems." National Instrument. 2009. NationalInstruments Corporation, Web. 12 Oct 2009.

.


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Figure 1


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Figure 2


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Figure 3


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Table 1

Design Cost Effectiveness Ease of Use Durability Feasability Overall

Ian 4 7 4 7 5 27

Taylor 1 8 8 6 9 32

Mark 3 7 3 4 4 21

Scale 1-worst 10-best


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Table 2

Project Schedule

Project: High Altitude Albedo Measurements

Number: 3

Month: October November December

Week of: 12th 19th 26th 3rd 10th 17th 24th 1st 8th 15th

WEEK # 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16Prepare project plan ~ ~

Critical Phase

Define subsystems ~ ~

Develop specs/gather data ~ ~ ~

Analyze feasability ~

Subsystem analysis memo ~

Integrate subsystems ~

Develop marketing strategy ~

Prepare design plan ~

Final report ~

Final exhibition ~

epics i final project

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