Project hotsat
1
ASEN 1400 & ASTR 2500 Gateway to Space
University of Colorado at Boulder
Christopher Koehler
PROJECT HOTSAT
Team Apollo 18
Maggie Williams
Peter Merrick
Lindsey Buxman
Nathan Buzzel
Jared Levin
Cody Gondek
Chris Davidoff
Jacob Hermann
September
28, 2012
PROJECT HOTSAT
Mission Statement and Overview:
The mission that Apollo 18 has selected is to examine how chemical hand warmers function
when exposed to low levels of oxygen and high pressures. Prior to launch, the hand warmer shall
be activated and a temperature sensor will track the temperature changes of the hand warmer.
This data will be compared to the data obtained by an additional temperature sensor tracking the
internal temperature of our Balloon Satellite, and also compared against the oxygen level in the
atmosphere which will be calculated from an oxygen sensor.
Chemical hand warmers are used by the public to provide heat in enclosed areas like gloves.
These hand warmers can be activated in two different ways: supersaturated and oxygen
activated. The supersaturated method of activation uses a metal disc that when snapped forms a
precipitate and releases heat. Due to the confined space of the hand warmer, the heat builds up
and can reach temperatures of 54 degrees Celsius. The second method utilizes oxygen to initiate
the reaction. The seal must be broken on the hand warmer to allow the oxygen in the air to pass
through the tiny holes in the hand warmer. The oxygen then reacts with the iron in the hand
warmer to form iron oxide and heat. The compound vermiculite is used to contain the heat inside
the hand warmer while carbon is used to evenly disperse the heat throughout the hand warmer.1
Mission Objectives:

Design, construct, and test a balloon satellite

Test whether or not a chemical hand warmer still functions at 30km

Obtain temperature readings of the hand warmer as it ascends

Compare the data between the temperature readings from the hand warmers
and inside the balloon satellite, also against the oxygen quantity in the air

Report results on December 11, 2012
Our results will show us whether or not chemical hand warmers could become an inexpensive
way to heat the internal components in small satellites for short periods of time. Currently,
NASA uses MLI (Multi-Layer Insulation) which is composed of Mylar and Dacron. This method
serves a dual purpose: keeping harmful radiation out and protecting the spacecraft from
extremely cold temperatures. The MLI works so well that NASA has to use heat exchangers to
prevent the excess heat created by the computer systems from building up inside the spacecraft.2
If chemical hand warmers can produce enough heat to allow the electrical instruments to
continue to function, they might allow students and hobbyists who do not have access to MLI the
ability to launch their own small satellite. The results will also indicate whether or not chemical
hand warmers can be used by mountain climbers to stay warm. This could lead to the
development of jackets that are filled with the same ingredients as chemical hand warmers.
Lynn, Maggie. “How Hand Warmers Work.” Live Strong. Live Strong, 28 March 2011.Web. 24
September 2012.
2
Price, Steve, Dr. Tony Phillips, and Gil Knier. “Staying Cool on the ISS.” NASA Science. NASA, 21
March 2001. Web. 24 September 2012.
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September
28, 2012
PROJECT HOTSAT
Technical Overview:
Design and Structure
Apollo 18’s satellite shall have an upper chamber within the satellite in order to achieve our goal
of accurately graphing the temperatures of each hand warmer compared to its tracked altitude.
This upper chamber will isolate the hand warmers so that our thermocouple, placed around the
hand warmers, will have a better chance of tracking the thermal energy produced by the hand
warmers.
The satellite will have side
lengths that have a length
and width of 180 mm, and a
height of 250mm, for a total
volume of 8.1 meters
squared. In order to turn our
design into an actual
satellite, Apollo 18 will
purchase hand warmers and
heat measuring devices
(MAX31855 and
thermocouple) that we will
connect to an Arduino Uno.
The components of the
satellite will be attached to the foam core through the use of hot glue and Velcro. Wiring from
various parts running to the Arduino will be connected using a soldering iron. The Arduino will
be programmed by the team in order to complete several functions along with our readings for
temperature. This setup will be integrated into the upper level of our satellite structure, so as not
to interfere with other mandatory experiments.
Hardware
The K-type thermocouple and MAX31855 amplifier chip shall be used to accurately measure the
temperature of the hand warmers during flight. The thermocouple shall be used to acquire the
temperature of a separate chamber inside of the satellite separate from all of the other hardware,
in the upper compartment. Thermocouples contain two points that are welded together and have
an electric charge that changes in voltage by approximately 10 mV for every degree Celsius of
temperature change. This process occurs in a temperature range from -200 degrees Celsius to
1350 degrees Celsius. The voltage readout goes to the MAX31855 amplifier chip and there the
voltage is converted to a 14-bit digital readout so that it is compatible with the digital pins on the
Arduino. The MAX31855 has an internal temperature sensor to use as a cold reference to
achieve a more accurate reading from the thermocouple.
Along with these components an oxygen sensor will be used to sense the amount of oxygen at
various altitudes throughout our launch. We will use an oxygen sensor from a car in order to stay
under budget and use an op-amp as well to amplify this signal so that the Arduino can interpret
the data. This oxygen sensor creates a voltage between 0 and 1.1 volts depending on the amount
of oxygen in the air.
3| Apollo 18
September
28, 2012
PROJECT HOTSAT
Testing
Drop Test- Our satellite will be thrown down stairs and dropped off a ledge in order to simulate
the landing of the satellite, to ensure that we will be able to safely retrieve our parts and attain
our logged data.
Dry Ice Test- Our satellite will be enclosed in a cooler of dry ice to ensure that it will be
insulated enough to continue to work in a cold environment similar to the higher atmosphere.
Whip test- We will rotate our satellite with a rope to simulate the intense forces caused by the
wind during the satellite launch, so that we can ensure all the components will remain in working
order.
Heat Test- A hand warmer will be opened on the ground prior to launch date in order to record
the temperature that it will get to when the greatest amount of oxygen is available.
Safety
The team will be dealing with a variety of tools, supplies, and scenarios in which danger will be
present. This danger will be minimized by acting responsibly and wearing the correct safety
equipment. When tests are being run, team members will do as instructed, and stay clear of the
test if they are not administering it. Eye protection will be used when necessary along with
gloves when maintaining questionable materials such as the dry ice.
Data Retrieval
Data retrieval will be conducted through the use of an Arduino Uno board, connected to a logger
shield that will store and save our data to an SD card provided through the class. To read the
information we will upload a different coding to look at the serial monitor which will then show
us our logged data.
An Arduino Uno board will be used to log the team’s data. During testing, we will have Arduino
boards connected to laptops so that we can read, write, and review our data to best simulate our
experiment in space. For launch and the actual test, we will take the programmed Arduino boards
and attach them to a logger shield. The logger shield will hold an SD card that will save our data
along with protecting our Arduino during the flight. After the flight, when the satellite has
landed, we will take the SD card from the satellite and review our recorded data.
Requirements
Team Apollo 18 has and will continue to meet on a minimum weekly basis. The team has
separated the workload into specialty areas where each team member will be most efficient. Any
and all information done outside of a team meeting is sent via email to the rest of the team so
every member is on an equal page. During our meetings, brainstorming will always be a factor
with which we use to ensure our requirements are met. These requirements will also be in a
checklist that has been conferred with Professor Koehler. The team will also follow the
directions in the assigned homework so that the requirements will be met on its easiest terms.
4| Apollo 18
September
28, 2012
PROJECT HOTSAT
Design Diagrams:
Lower Compartment
Top Compartment
5| Apollo 18
September
28, 2012
PROJECT HOTSAT
Functional Block Diagram:
Hand Warmer 2
Oxygen sensor
Hand Warmer 1
Hand warmer thermo couple #1
SD card
Hand warmer thermocouple #2
Accelerometer
Arduino
Pressure sensor
9 volt Lithium
Relative humidity
(Built in)
External temperature
(
(Attached)
HOBO
Heater
Power source
Internal temperature
(
(Built in)
Sensor
Camera
Data storage
Memory
card
Power transfer
Lithium battery
Heater
Switch
Data transfer
Alkaline 9 volt (3x)
Budget:
The hardware will be carefully selected in order to assure that the group gets the best deal. This
way we will spend the least amount of our budget on the hardware that we need for the
satellite. Our group was allocated a budget of $250. We will be able to purchase everything we
need with this budget. Also, our group has set aside an extra $90 just in case we need to purchase
any other supplies such as dry ice, batteries, or anything else. Jacob will be in charge of the budget
and will keep track of all of the group spending.
6| Apollo 18
September
28, 2012
PROJECT HOTSAT
Item
Arduino UNO
Proto Shield
External
Temperature
Sensor
Internal
Temperature
Sensor
Canon SD780 IS
Active Heater
System
Foam Core
Contact Info/ US
Flag
HOBO
Pressure Sensor
3 Axis
Accelerometer
Humidity Sensor
Lithium 9V (x2)
Alkaline 9V (x3)
Aluminum Tape
Velcro
Insulation
Switches
Dry Ice
Oxygen Sensor
(ARBM960924)
Hand Warmers
(x2)
Thermocouple
Amplifier
MAX31855
breakout board
(x2)
Thermocouple
Type-K Glass
Braid Insulated –K
Test Batteries
Hot Glue
Total
7| Apollo 18
Cost
Provided
Provided
Provided
Source
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
Mass
30 g
10 g
40 g
Provided
Gateway
40 g
Provided
Provided
Gateway
Gateway
130 g
100 g
18x55x88 mm
10x50x50 mm
Provided
Provided
Gateway
Gateway
60 g
5g
N/A
N/A
Provided
Provided
Provided
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
50 g
5g
5g
20x45x60 mm
17.58x17.58 mm
12.7x15.2x11.7 mm
Provided
Provided
Provided
Provided
Provided
Provided
Provided
$10.00
$9.89
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
Kingsoopers
Autoparts
Warehouse
Mcguckins
5g
49 g
45.6 g
5g
10 g
TBD
TBD
N/A
~100g
17.58x17.58 mm
49x26.5x17.5 mm
48.5x26.5x17.5 mm
N/A
N/A
TBD
TBD
N/A
Wire length- 375 mm
70.89 g
(x2)
1.33 g
(x2)
63.5x101.6 mm
$8.99 for
10
$17.50
(x2)
Adafruit
Dimensions
153.3x101.60x1 mm
63.5x53.300x1 mm
20x20x3.28 mm
$10.00
(x2)
Adafruit
7.18 g
(x2)
1000x2.18 mm
$9.99
Provided
$93.87
Costco
Gateway
N/A
5g
853.4 g
N/A
N/A
September
28, 2012
PROJECT HOTSAT
Schedule:
Team meetings shall be held every Monday from 7-9 PM. These meetings are not concrete
however, and may be rescheduled if the majority of the team has outside conflicts. Another
optional meeting time, if needed, is 7:30-9 PM on Thursdays.
9/20
9/24
9/28
10/1
10/2
10/5
10/8
10/15
10/18
10/22
10/29
11/5
11/12
11/13
11/15
11/26
11/27
11/30
12/1
12/3
12/8
12/11
Team Meeting- Split up proposal work, HW #4
Team Meeting- define mission, work on proposal
Proposal Due
Team Meeting- work on presentation and HW #5
Presentations Due
ATP and Hardware Ordering
Team Meeting- Build Satellite
Team Meeting- Work on DD and CDR
Design Document AB and pCDR due
Team Meeting- Build Satellite
Team Meeting- Building Complete
Team Meeting- Hand-warmer test, dry ice test
Team Meeting- drop test, whip test
In-Class simulation Test
Design Document C Due
Team Meeting- Final Testing
Launch Readiness Review
Final BalloonSat Weigh-in and Turn-in
Launch Day
Team Meeting- Prepare for Design Expo, Data compiling
Design Expo- Design document D due and team videos due
Final Presentation and Reports- Turn in hardware
Team Members:
Nathan Buzzel
Structural Engineer
Soldering Lead
Cody Gondek
Electrical Engineer
Arduino Programmer
8| Apollo 18
Lindsey Buxman
Science Researcher
Editor
Maggie Williams
Team Leader
Scheduling Manager
Peter Merrick
Diagram Manager
Programmer
Jared Levin
Science Lead
Cinematographer
Chris Davidoff
Arduino Programmer
Electrical Engineer
Jacob Hermann
Financial Officer Data
Analyst
September
28, 2012
PROJECT HOTSAT
Maggie Williams
Maggie is a freshman at CU Boulder, majoring in Aerospace Engineering. She was born in
Dallas, Texas, on September 4, 1994, but has lived most of her life in Colorado. She enjoys
singing, playing piano, running, hiking, and skiing, and hopes to one day work in the
bioastonautic field of aerospace engineering.
9028 Andrews Hall
Phone: 720-300-7247
Boulder, CO 80310
Margaret.Williams@colorado.edu
Cody Gondek
Cody is a freshman at the beautiful University of Colorado at Boulder. He is an Aerospace
Engineering Major and on the side he participates in Air Force ROTC as well as the club roller
hockey team here at CU. In high school he played varsity football and went to the Illinois state
semifinals before losing to the top ranked team in the state. He has some soldering experience as
well as some structural design work. He is interested and highly motivated by hockey, military
aviation and rockets.
9203 Willard Hall
Phone: 630-303-3618
Boulder, CO 80310
Cody.Gondek@colorado.edu
Jared Levin
Jared was born in Denver, Colorado. When he was a kid, he loved to play with Legos (he still
loves them.) He also loves to read books. His favorite movie series are Star Wars and The Lord
of the Rings. He went to a small private school run by his church in Wheat Ridge, CO, and he
attended that school from kindergarten through his senior year; with a graduating class of 8
people. He is currently studying Aerospace Engineering at CU Boulder.
8886 Vrain St.
Phone: 720-381-9993
Westminster, CO 80031
Jared.Levin@colorado.edu
Lindsey Buxman
Lindsey was born in Pueblo, Colorado on October 9, 1994. She attended Pueblo Centennial High
School and participated in MESA, Science Olympiad, Science Bowl and Future Business
Leaders of America. She has danced for the past 14 years and has studied tap, clog, Irish dance,
jazz, hip hop and ballet. Lindsey is currently a freshman at CU Boulder and is studying
Aerospace Engineering. She is interested in engineering because she believes that the innovation
of science within any field has the potential to improve an entire community and increase
economic opportunity. She hopes to attend MIT for graduate school.
9079 Andrews Hall
Phone: 719-369-9661
Boulder, CO 80310
Lindsey.Buxman@colorado.edu
Nathan Buzzel
Nathan currently attends the University of Colorado at Boulder. He was born in Keller,
Texas on August 16, 1991. He attended Fort Worth Christian School prior to CU, where he
played soccer and placed second in state during his senior year. Although he loves soccer,
he has put up his cleats and taken up bowling and skateboarding as a hobby. Nathan is
9| Apollo 18
September
28, 2012
PROJECT HOTSAT
majoring in Astronomy through the University. He hopes to help further the study of the
stars in the future.
720 Toedtli Lane
Phone: 817-217-5360
Boulder, CO 80305
Nathan.Buzzel@colorado.edu
Jacob Hermann
Jacob was born in Colorado Springs on December, 23rd 1993. Since then he has lived in many
cities throughout Colorado. He enjoys a wide range of activities from going swing dancing to
going to hip-hop concerts. Music is a central part of Jacob’s life. He has also loved the idea of
space exploration since he was a young child. He hopes to one day aid humanity in the
exploration of the unknown in the dark depths of space. He is currently studying Aerospace
engineering at CU Boulder.
9045 Aden Hall
Phone: 720-333-4829
Boulder, CO 80310
Jacob.Hermann@colorado.edu
Peter Merrick
Peter is from Highlands Ranch, Colorado and attended high school at Mountain Vista. He took
several AP class in high school and some basic engineering classes also. He knows the basics of
java and python and also is proficient in solid works. He was on several sports teams and was
captain of the wrestling team. He has always found space interesting and knew from the first
time he saw a shuttle launch when he was five that aerospace is what he wanted to do with his
life.
9367 Crosman Hall
Phone: 720-987-4101
Boulder, CO 80310
Peter.Merrick@colorado.edu
Christopher Davidoff
Christopher is from Fort Collins, Colorado. He is now a sophomore at CU and is undecided in
his major but is considering astrophysics. He has joined the Kayak club this semester and enjoys
going up for some white water action on the weekends. Chris also has past experience working
with Arduinos and building various things including a Nixie tube clock, a laser 917 car,
headphone amplifier, and many other creations.
2892 Shadow Creek Dr.
Phone: 970-443-3157
Boulder, CO 80303
Christopher.Davidoff@colorado.edu
10| Apollo 18