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PROJECT AETHER DESIGN DOCUMENT
GATEWAY TO SPACE 2012
Written by:
Lucas Migliorini, Sierra Williams, Chase Goodman, Ethan Hollenbach, Becca Lidvall,
Abby Caballero, Paul Smith, Nikhil Desai
10/22/2012
Revision A/B
Boulder, Colorado • University of Colorado • Gateway to Space Fall 2012
Table of Contents
Revision Log
2
1.0 Mission Overview
2
1.1 Mission Statement
2
1.2 Mission Background
2
1.3 Mission Summary
2
2.0 Requirements Flow Down
2
3.0 Design
2
Design Diagrams
2
Functional Block Diagram
2
Schematic
2
4.0 Management
2
Team Positions
2
Schedule
2
5.0 Budget
2
6.0 Test Plan
2
7.0 Expected Results
2
Graph
2
Organization Name
Proposal Title
2
Revision Log
Revision
Description
Date
A/B
Conceptual and Preliminary Design Review
10/22/2012
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Project Aether Design Document
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1.0 Mission Overview
1.1 Mission Statement
The mission for team ‘Hang Seven’ is to design, build, test, and launch a BalloonSat. There are
three primary objectives for this mission. The first is to build three working Geiger counters that will be
used in measuring radiation. Secondly, we will measure the unshielded amount of gamma radiation absorbed as altitude increases. The final stage of our experiment will be to shield two Geiger counters with
protective materials, aluminum and carbon fiber, and test their effectiveness in reducing the gamma radiation levels. The balloon satellite will ascend to 30km and conduct the primary experiments in addition
to recording data on humidity, temperature, acceleration, pressure, and taking pictures from near-space.
It will then survive the descent and be in working condition to allow for data retrieval to use in analysis.
1.2 Mission Background
In any manned mission, whether within the atmosphere or in space, human safety is of utmost
importance. As altitude increases so does exposure to radiation of all kinds; on a typical passenger aircraft traveling approximately 12,000 meters, the amount of radiation exposure will be double that on the
ground1. Radiation in itself can be a lethal force; only 35 rad (.35 gray) of absorption will cause negative
health effects. As you increase in altitude, much of the Earth’s natural protective cover such as cloud
cover, atmosphere, and the ozone layer are lost.
1
“Appendix C/Materials Used in Aircraft." Federal Aviation Administration
Fire Safety. Federal Aviation Administration, n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.fire.tc.faa.gov/pdf/handbook/00-12_apC.pdf>.
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1.3 Mission Summary
The materials we have chosen to test are carbon fiber and aluminum[CK1], as they are used in
commercial airplanes.2 This data will be compared to the control so we can determine which of the two
materials is the most plausible solution as a radiation deterrent. Radiation increase with altitude proposes potential health risks once a certain exposure level is reached. By comparing the gamma readings from
the control sensor with the increase in altitude of the payload, we can determine this limit. From there
we can test the effectiveness of the protective materials to see if they are a viable solution as a defense
against human radiation exposure during flight.
2"Radiation
Hazard at Aircraft Altitudes." Radiation Hazard at Aircraft Altitudes.
N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Sept. 2012. <http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/info/RadHaz.html>.
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2.0 Requirements Flow Down
The requirements for the Aether mission are presented below. The requirements are an overview
of what needs to be accomplished by our satellite. The level zero requirements are all derived from the
mission statement. All subsequent requirements are either derived from the mission statement or the
previous requirements.
Level
0
Number
1
Requirements
Payload must ascend to an altitude of 30 kilometers via balloon
Payload must store and collect data from our
sensors
The payload mass must not exceed 1.025kg
Derived From
Mission
Statement
Mission
Statement
0
2
0
3
0
4
0
5
0
6
The internal temperature of the payload must
not drop below -10° Celsius
The payload must be able to hold all electronics
and sensors
The payload must contain a heater
0
7
The payload must contain a power source
0
8
0
9
0
10
0
11
The payload must be constructed solely of foam
core
Mission
The payload must be ready for launch by 1 DeStatement
cember 2012
Mission
The payload must contain three working GeiStatement
ger counters
Mission
The team and project must obey all safety preStatement
cautions
Hang Seven
Mission
Statement
Mission
Statement
Mission
Statement
Mission
Statement
Mission
Statement
Mission
Statement
Project Aether Design Document
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Level
Number
Requirements
1
1
1
2
1
3
1
4
1
5
1
6
1
7
1
8
1
9
1
10
The Geiger counters must be able to accurately
measure gamma radiation
The payload will store and record data from the
Geiger counters to an SD card
The payload must survive the ascent and descent and all the forces associated with both
The payload will contain aluminum and carbon
fiber testing tubes
Connect the Geiger counter to the Arduino microcontroller
Program the Arduino microcontroller to collect
information
Use aluminum to shield one Geiger counter
from radiation
Use carbon fiber to shield one Geiger counter
from radiation
Use one Geiger counter as a control for radiation measurement
Calibrate homemade Geiger counters to an industry standard Geiger counter
Level
Number
2
1
Requirements
Take the measurements from the Geiger counters and plot them looking for trends
Hang Seven
Derived
From
0-R10
0-R2
0-R1/ 0-R8
0-R2/ 0-R10
0-R2
0-R2
0-R2/ 0-R5/
0-R10
0-R2/ 0-R5/
0-R10
0-R10
0-R10
Derived
From
0-R2/1R7/1-R8/1R9/1-R2
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3.0 Design
Aether shall be made with foam core, in a hexagonal shape, in accordance with the diagram. This
was chosen due to the centripetal force that will keep the Balloon Sat equipment on the side of the satellite as it hurtles towards the earth. The design will protect the equipment from the whip effect as well,
where the burst of the balloon will cause a swinging effect on Aether and the other payloads. Team Hang
Seven will stick the listed components and the wires connecting them to the sides with hot glue and Velcro. All parts of the satellites will be subjected to testing and modified accordance to the results of the
test.
The satellite shall be measuring gamma radiation, and will therefore have three Geiger counters
along with the power and recording equipment for this test. We will make the Geiger counters ourselves
by following a schematic (below) that uses disposable camera flash units and Geiger tube obtained
online3. One Geiger tube will be not covered by any material, another will be covered with an aluminum
tube, and the last will be within a carbon fiber casing. This will allow us to determine which, if any, material blocks radiation the best. The Geiger counters will be connected to an Arduino board, which will
collect and store the data. Following the block diagram, the counters will be connected to one switch but
each will have its own batteries for the power source.
3"Step
by Step Hacking a Disposable Camera Flash Unit to Power a Geiger Tube." « Mad Scientist
Hut Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012.
<http://madscientisthut.com/wordpress/daily-blog/hacking-a-disposable-camera-flash-unit-to-power-a-geigertube/>.
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Design Diagrams
Arduino
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Arduino
Functional Block Diagram
Hang Seven
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8
Schematic
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4.0 Management
The management system for our team will be divided among the team members. All members of
the team will lead/specialize in at least one of the subsystems and assist in at least one other. The assistant position will entail checking and aiding the leads of the subsystem their assigned to. Our schedule is
made up of a few weekly meetings on Monday and Tuesday along with extra meetings for building, testing, and review preparation.
Team Positions
Name
Lead
Assistant
Paul Smith
Structural Design
Material Acquisition, Power
Chase Goodman
Thermal, Power
Structural Design
Ethan Hollenbach
Material Acquisition, Budget
Ground Ops
Rebecca Lidvall
Manufacturing, C&DH
Budget, Science
Nikhil Desai
Software, Camera
Thermal, C&DH
Lucas Migliorini
Science, Ground Ops
Manufacturing
Abbigail Caballero
System Engineering
Software, Camera
Sierra Williams
Project Manager
System Engineering
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Schedule
Date
Meeting
09/13/2012
Team Meeting (8-10pm) (Weekly)
09/17/2012
Team Meeting (8-10pm) (Weekly)
09/18/2012
Team Meeting (8-10pm) (Design Complete)
09/24/2012
Create Proposal (8-10pm)
09/27/2012
Review Proposal Meeting (10-12am)
09/28/2012
Turn in Proposal (4pm)
10/02/2012
Presentations Due (7am)
Conceptual Design Review (9:30-10:45pm)
Team Meeting (8-10pm)
Authority To Proceed (9am-3pm)
10/05/2012
10/18/2012
10/23/2012
Rev A/B and pCDR Presentation Due (7am)
Pre-Critical Design Review (9:30-10:45am)
Team Meeting (8-10pm)(Prototyping Design Complete)
10/27/2012
Whip, Drop, and Kick Test (7-8pm)
11/05/2012
Team Meeting (8-10pm) (Testing Final Design Complete)
11/06/2012
Team Meeting (8-10pm) (All Hardware Required)
11/11/2012
Hardware and Power Tests (12-4pm)
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11/12/2012
Team Meeting and Cold Test (7-10pm)
11/13/2012
11/30/2012
DEMO – In Class Mission Simulation Test
Team Hours with Chris (5-8pm)
Launch Readiness Review (9:30-10:45am)
Team Meeting (8-10pm)
Final BalloonSat Weigh-in (8am-1pm)
12/1/2012
BalloonSat Launch (6:50am)
11/27/2012
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5.0 Budget
Item
Structure
Foam Core
Aluminum Tape
Hot Glue
Insulation
Carbon Fiber
Cap
Aluminum Cap
Hardware
Disposable Camera
Flash Unit
Geiger Tube
Copper Wire
Heater System
Plastic Tubing
Cannon SD780
Dry Ice
Batteries
Quantity
Source
1,596cm^2
150cm
Weight
Cost
1,000cm^2
3cm^2
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
103g
5g
5g
50g
30g
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$5.00
3cm^2
Gateway
35g
$2.00
6
MadScientist.com
50g
$17.95
10
3m
1
1
1
5kg
Ebay.com
McGuckin’s
Gateway
Gateway
Gateway
Safeway
300g
2g
100g
4g
130g
N/A
$54.50
$2.00
$0.00
$0.00
$0.00
$12.00
20 (including tests)
Safeway
5g
Total
Hang Seven
158g (flight $30.00
weight)
972g
$123.45
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6.0 Test Plan
First we will complete our payload tests. These include our structural tests, hardware tests, and
Geiger counter tests. Our structural tests consist of a whip test, a drop test, and a kick test. Each test will
use a test structure with simulated mass to represent the hardware that will be in our actual structure. To
perform the whip test, we will attach our structure to a rope and swing it around to ensure that it will
sufficiently hold against the gravitational force that it will be exposed to. To perform the drop test, we
will drop our structure off a three-story building. This will simulate the fall that our structure will have
to take. To perform a kick test, we will kick our structure down a flight of stairs to see how it will hold
against the battery it will be exposed to.
Our hardware tests consist of our camera hardware test, arduino sensor tests, power test, and
cold test. Our camera hardware test consists of making sure the camera software works and that we can
connect our camera to a switch, turn it on, and get the pictures off of the SD card. Our arduino sensor
tests consist of a humidity test, temperature test, pressure test, and accelerometer test. We will calibrate
these sensors and test them to make sure they work. Our power tests will check that all hardware has
enough power from batteries to last the majority of the flight so the necessary data will be taken. For the
cold test, we will cover the near finalized satellite, complete will all hardware installed, to see that we
have enough insulation so all our electronics function still.
Finally, we will perform test on our homemade Geiger counters. Using contacts in the physics
department laboratories, we will check that out Geiger counters sense radiation using the radioactive material thorium in the physics labs. Then we will compare our reading with those of industry standard
Geiger counters to calibrate ours to read correctly. This will be repeated after tests like the cold test to
make sure all Geiger counters survived the testing and are still functioning properly.
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7.0 Expected Results
In our Geiger counter experiment, we will have three homemade Geiger counters, with two having some material for protection. The uncovered counter will be the control experiment to test the levels
of gamma radiation found in the upper levels of the atmosphere and in near space. We expect that the
radiation will increase to lethal levels. On the surface of earth, the level of gamma radiation is about 0.05
microSv (micro Sieverts) per hours. An extremely lethal level would be 10 Sv, which will incapacitation
or death within seconds4. We expect that the level will not reach this high, but could cause high amount
of damage if exposed for a slightly longer amount of time. Then we will have one Geiger counter capped
by carbon fiber and another by aluminum. While both materials will reduce radiation exposure to nonlethal levels, the aluminum will block more radiation. Shown below are graphs of our expected results
for the radiation levels.
Graph
Ground
Control
Aluminum
Carbon Fiber
4"Lethal
1
1
1
Ozone
250
75
150
400
100
200
100,000 ft
600
200
300
Levels of Radiation Recorded in Fukushima Gamma Ray Image." PhotoBlog. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2012. <http://photoblog.nbcnews.com/_news/2011/08/02/7227954-lethal-levels-of-radiationrecorded-in-fukushima-gamma-ray-image?lite>.
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