Ready To Fly
After the successful test of the Gen 1-P, we were close to finally testing the parachute system in flight. But first, we needed to collect some performance data on the FTS without the parachute system. During this flight test, we discovered that both the drop and camera systems were nonfunctional.
The drop system was easily fixed by switching to a different type of battery. The camera system failure was caused by an unknown problem in the camera control software. This problem could not be fixed in time for the test, so we replaced the cameras. The payload camera was also effected so it was replaced as well. With these tasks complete, we performed some final prep on the payload, including the last ground test of the parachute system (shown below). Finally, all systems were a go for a flight test of the parachute system.