Status Update
We have been very busy with non Project Redirect work the during the last two weeks and have been unable to spend any time on the project. We hope to have more time in the coming weeks.
We have been very busy with non Project Redirect work the during the last two weeks and have been unable to spend any time on the project. We hope to have more time in the coming weeks.
Months ago, when we began designing the parachute system, we decided to use springs to deploy the chutes. We chose springs because they are reusable and simple. We planned to spend no more then a month working on the parachute. However, after hundreds of hours of planning, designing, printing, testing, and redesigning, the spring powered…
Project Redirect is a large project that consists of many milestones that must be completed for a successful high altitude balloon flight. The milestones that need to be completed can be separated into two phases. Phase 1 is currently active. The goals of phase 1 are as follows: Setup and test the FTS (Flight Test…
We have been continuing our preparations for the first test flight of the GTP (Guidance Test Payload) that will signal the start of the development of the guidance system. Our efforts in the past weeks have been focused in three different areas. First, with the completion of the internal parachute module and the painting of…
Our original plan was to perform our first drop test of the parachute system on the 20th of December. The three failures of the parachute system print jobs (more about this here) used up much of our time, but we still had one more week before this deadline. To achieve this goal, we had many…
In preparation for our next flight, we spent this week working on the second generation parachute system. The second generation parachute system for the test payload will use four parachutes, two mains and two pilots (more about the parachutes here). The pilot chutes attach to the main chutes and will inflate with air more quickly,…
For the first time since the catastrophic crash that destroyed the first generation Parachute System Control Computer (PSCC-1), we returned to the test site. As the PSCC-2 had been extensively tested on the ground, the next step was to perform a flight test that would subject it to an environment very similar to the one…