Flight Procedures

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Flight Procedures

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This training is meant to help you become a safe and effective member of a HABET flight team operating out of the SSOL with the launch site being any nearby site. YES there is a lot of info in this training section, take your time…

The flight team’s primary job is the tracking of the spacecraft and reception of data from the spacecraft during flight. That is, after launch and before landing.

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The flight team must begin operations prior to the MRR to ensure the SSOL is fully prepared for the flight.

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Although most flight procedures do not take long to complete, it is important that you are familiar with them before the flight, since you will not have time to learn about them while the spacecraft is flying.

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The flight director will direct you to follow certain procedures at certain times.

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However, if you notice that a procedure has been missed, or think that something is wrong in any way, it is YOUR responsibility to point this out to the flight director.

Only trained members of the flight team are permitted to be in the area of the flight console or to operate any flight team equipment while a flight is in progress. It is YOUR responsibility to ensure this.

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Flight team procedures begin prior to the MRR with the MRR Checklist.

By following the MRR checklist, and later the FRR checklist, the flight director ensures that all procedures required to prepare the SSOL for the flight are completed.

While it is the flight director who will follow the checklist, as a member of the team you should be familiar with it so that you can be sure no procedures are missed, and so that you understand when and why procedures need to be completed.

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MRR/FRR Checklists

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The recommended start time indicates, where applicable, the time that this procedure should be started during a normal HABET mission. This time is measured from some fixed marker in the mission, such as FRR, MRR, or Launch.

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Certain standard information can be found at the top of every flight team procedure.

The master timeline reference indicates, if applicable, where on the Mission Manager’s timeline this procedure should be carried out.

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The responsibility for all flight procedures is designated as the Flight Director (FD). This means the FD is responsible for directing you as a team member to complete the procedure. Once directed, it is YOUR responsibility to ensure that the procedure is completed correctly.

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The estimated time to complete is the time it should take to complete the procedure for a person who is familiar with the procedure and who has completed it before.

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Lastly, if the procedure is dangerous, there may be a warning or caution notice underneath the rules. These warnings are extremely serious and should not be taken lightly or ignored under any circumstances.

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If there are rules associated with when or how the procedure should be carried out, they will be specified here.

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The MRR checklist specifies the procedures to be carried out before and during the MRR.

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MRR Checklist

First, the fax which will be used to inform the FAA of our intent to fly a high altitude balloon should be prepared.

More information on the FAA faxes can be found in the training section on the FAA faxes procedure.

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Second, the flight team must check all the equipment on the Flight Equipment Checklist is available for the mission.

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Once a piece of equipment is known to be available, it should be checked off in the MRR column of this list.

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Second, the flight team must check that all the equipment on the Flight Equipment Checklist is available for the mission.

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Note: At this time, checking that the equipment is functional is not required since this would require a functional, operating spacecraft, which may not be available before the MRR. However, if a piece of equipment is clearly not functional it should be noted and brought to the attention of the FD and MMGR.

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Third, before the MRR, the FD must ensure that all required training for prospective flight team members has been completed, or waivers obtained.

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Note: If you have not completed the training satisfactorily, you will not be allowed to be a member of the flight team.

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Fourth, during the MRR, the FD reports on the above areas and, if all is okay, specifies the team as Go for the mission.

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Finally, if the MRR decision is Go, the fax is sent, and the FD begins the FRR checklist. Otherwise, a new MRR is scheduled and the checklist is repeated at that time.

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The FRR checklist specifies the procedures to be carried out before and during the FRR.

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FRR Checklist

The flight team must report to the SSOL at least 1½ hours before the start of the FRR, since several procedures must be completed before the flight team can be sure that the SSOL is fully prepared for a flight.

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First, the flight equipment and software must be setup in the SSOL. Further information on this is found in the SSOL Equipment and Software training.

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Second, A flight path prediction and an analysis of the local weather conditions must be made. Further information on this can be found in the Tracking, Prediction, and Weather training.

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Third, the fax to be sent to the FAA must be prepared. This fax indicates the predicted flight path and landing site.

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Fourth, all training and waivers must be complete.

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During the FRR, any problems encountered in the above items are discussed. Problems may mean that the FD has specify the flight team as No-Go for the mission.

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In addition, the predicted flight path and local weather are discussed. The flight path is only Go if it:

• does not traverse any No-Fly zones

• and does not end in a No-Landing zone

• and ends within acceptable range of the recovery team

• and does not pass through any thunderstorm clouds.

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If the FRR decision is Go, the fax is sent, and the FD begins the Flight Countdown Timeline.

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All equipment and software is left running from now until after the spacecraft has landed. Do NOT shutdown software or equipment at this stage unless specifically instructed to do so by the Flight Director, Mission Manager, HABET Manager, or SSOL Manager.

At this time, the SSOL is prepared to begin the countdown sequence.

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Countdown and Flight SequenceThe procedures to be carried out between the end of the FRR and the end of the mission are specified in three documents:

The Countdown Timeline specifies procedures up until spacecraft launch.

The Flight Procedures Sequence specifies the sequence of procedures to be carried out during the flight.

The Flight Team Cleanup specifies shutdown and cleanup of software/equipment after landing of the spacecraft.

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The countdown is started by the FD immediately after the end of the FRR. The FD then begins working through the Countdown Timeline.

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Countdown Timeline

Flight Team members will usually need to arrive at the SSOL 2½ before the planned launch time. However, the FD may choose to alter this under certain conditions.

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At the first opportunity on flight day, the flight path prediction and local weather status should be updated. If the weather or upper atmosphere winds result in a situation where we cannot fly, it is important to know this as soon as possible.

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These updates are achieved by following the Launch Day Prediction Update Procedure and the Local Weather Status Procedure.

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The countdown timeline is organized into a sequence of checkpoints. At each checkpoint, certain procedures by each of the teams have to be complete in order to continue with the countdown.

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These checkpoints are labeled with the time left until launch. For example, L- 2:10 means that this checkpoint should be reached at 2 hours and 10 minutes before launch.

The FD will write in the actual time that the checkpoint was reached in the space provided.

Checkpoints

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At L- 2:20, the FD will direct team members to begin the Visual Communications Setup Procedure. This involves setting up a camera in the faculty mail room to provide video of the launch site on the big screen TV in the SSOL.

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More information can be found in the SSOL Communications Training.

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At L- 2:10, the Mission Manager (MMGR) will initiate a roll call for go for external power. This occurs when the launch team has reached the appropriate stage in their procedures.

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The MMGR will ask each director if their teams are ready to put the spacecraft on external power. If something is seriously wrong with flight equipment or software, then the FD may decide that the flight team is No-Go. The mission is then put on hold until the problem can be resolved.

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At L- 2:09 (immediately after external power is applied to the spacecraft), the FD must verify that transmission from the spacecraft is being received in the SSOL.

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If transmission is not being received, the FD and LD will coordinate their teams to work to resolve the problem. However, note that at this stage it is against HABET regulations to unseal the spacecraft enclosure in order to resolve a problem.

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At L- 1:41, the FD must verify from the transmitted data that the spacecraft GPS receiver has locked onto satellites (GPS lock) and that Visual Comm setup is complete.

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GPS lock can be identified by observing the time stamp on the data received from the spacecraft. If the timestamp increments each time a line of data is received, then there is GPS lock. If the time stamp remains the same, then there is no GPS lock.

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At L- 1:40 (immediately following verification of GPS lock), the MMGR will initiate a roll call for “Go for Fill”. If there are no problems with any of the teams, all will be Go, and the MMGR will direct the LD to begin filling the balloon.

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If it becomes clear that the actual launch time will be less than or greater than 30 minutes from the proposed launch time, the FD will direct a team member to notify the FAA of this by fax.

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When the launch team has finished filling the balloon, the LD will communicate this to the FD and MMGR.

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At this point, a flight team member will be directed to begin logging data on the console data computer. The computer will have been set up to run the Telix terminal software, so all that is required is to press Alt-L to begin logging and then enter a filename as specified in the procedure.

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At L- 0:15, shortly after fill is complete, the MMGR will initiate a roll call for internal power. All flight equipment and software should be operating correctly before the FD will give a Go for the flight team.

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The flight team must continually monitor for good reception of data in the lab, and check GPS lock from that data. Any problems at this stage will cause the FD to call a No-Go for flight until the problems are resolved. In any No-Go situation, the countdown is paused.

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At L- 0:02, the MMGR will initiate a roll call for launch. If all is well, the MMGR will inform the LD that the mission is Go for launch.

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At this point, a flight team member will be directed to begin the video recording of the SSOL view of the launch site. Information on this is found in the SSOL Communications Setup

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The launch director will direct the launch and then communicate “Spacecraft Clear” to all directors and the MMGR when the spacecraft has cleared the WOI Radar tower.

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Control has now passed from the launch team to the flight team. The beginning of the flight, immediately following launch, is by far the busiest time of the mission for the flight team, so be prepared for some hectic action!

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Immediately following launch, the flight team should stop the recording of the launch site, and switch the big screen display to flight mode. In flight mode, the view of the launch site is replaced by a real-time map of the spacecraft’s ground position.

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The flight team must also notify the FAA of the launch by fax.

The FD will then begin executing the Flight Procedures Sequence.

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The FD begins the Flight Procedures Sequence immediately following launch.

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Flight Procedures Sequence

There are a whole slew of procedures which need to be performed during flight. The Flight Procedures Sequence specifies when each procedure should be performed by altitude position of the spacecraft. Altitudes on all procedures are in feet. For example, 18K Ascent means at 18,000 feet during the spacecraft’s ascent.

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Post Launch

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A member of the flight team should perform the Post-Launch Prediction Update procedure immediately following launch.

The Recovery Team should be provided with the new predicted landing site as soon as possible.

This prediction takes into account the actual ascent rate of the spacecraft, rather than just using the predicted ascent rate.

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Throughout flight

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It is important that the SSOL antenna be kept pointing in the direction of the spacecraft throughout the flight.

Usually, the antenna position will only need to be adjusted once every 15 minutes or so. However, near the end of a long flight, when the signal is weak, it may need to be adjusted more frequently than this.

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Throughout flight

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The FD may wish to perform manual tracking of the spacecraft throughout the flight.

Although manual tracking is not required, it can act as a backup in case of a serious computer failure. Generally, other tasks should always be performed first.

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FAA Faxes

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At 18K and 45K on ascent, then again at 45K and 18K on descent, and finally on landing, a fax must be sent to the FAA to inform them of the spacecraft position at that time.

These faxes can be generated by the flight software as described in the FAA Faxes training.

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Burst or Cutdown

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When the balloon bursts or the spacecraft is cut away from the balloon, the FD will announce “Spacecraft Away”.

At this point a team member must perform the Post-Burst/Cutdown Prediction Update procedure, which uses all the data gathered on the ascent to calculate the descent flight path and landing position.

The FD will then inform the recovery team of this new landing position.

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Flight Anomaly

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If, at burst/cutdown, the flight path is significantly different from the original prediction sent to the FAA, the FD may decide to send a flight anomaly fax to the FAA.

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18K and 10K Descent

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As the spacecraft gets closer to the ground, the prediction software must be re-run at least twice (18K and 10K) to obtain as accurate a prediction of landing as possible.

The FD can then inform the recovery team of the new landing position so that they can move into place ready to recover the spacecraft.

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On Landing

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On landing, the FAA is sent the last notification fax, the FD debriefs with the MMGR, and the flight team is directed to perform the Flight Team Cleanup procedure. After this, the flight team can be dismissed.

At the end of the mission, the FD attends the End Of Flight (EOF) meeting. Team members are welcome to attend the EOF, but this is not required.

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Flight team cleanup is straightforward. Essentially, it involves closing software, logging off computers, and powering down equipment. Simply follow the procedure to ensure everything is shut down properly. DO NOT however shut down the flight console software or any other software during a mission. Also DO NOT shutdown Flight Console without the Director’s permission.

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Flight Team Cleanup

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During a HABET flight numerous items of hardware and software must be integrated. The SSOL must allow the flight team to:

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SSOL Equipment and Software

Video record the launch site

Track the spacecraft

Receive and record flight data

Display flight info on the big screen

Predict spacecraft flight

Communicate with launch and recovery teams

Keep the FAA informed via fax

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The signal from the spacecraft is received by a Yaesu radio on the amateur band frequency of 446.375 MHz via an antenna on the roof of Howe Hall.

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Equipment/Software Overview

Antenna

Radio

The organization of the equipment in the SSOL required for receiving and recording data from the spacecraft is shown to the right.

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The analog signal from the radio is fed into a PacComm TNC. The TNC acts in a similar way to a modem in that it demodulates the signal into a bit stream. This bit stream was created on the spacecraft to conform with the X.25 protocol. Since the TNC also talks X.25, it is able to determine frame boundaries and perform checksum error detection.

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TNC

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Once the TNC has received an error-free frame, it outputs this on an RS232 digital serial port. This signal is split by a custom RS232 splitter and directed to two computers - the Console Data Computer (Goddard) on the right end of the console and the Console Control Computer (Thor) in the middle of the console.

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Goddard Thor

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The Console Data Computer (Goddard) runs a simple MS-DOS terminal emulator called Telix. This provides a reliable method for recording and displaying mission data no mater what else is going on in the lab.

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Thor runs a piece of custom software called Serial Broadcast System (SBS). SBS takes the data on the serial port, processes it in various ways, then transmits it using the TCP/IP protocols onto the lab Ethernet network. This makes all mission data available to all computers on the SSOL network.

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SBSsoftware

Multiple PC’son lab LAN

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The data can be displayed on any computer simply by using a telnet client (such as TeraTerm or the telnet program that comes with Windows NT/95/98) to connect to the computer running SBS. Usually, this computer is Thor, so to see the data, you should telnet to thor.ssol.iastate.edu.

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During a mission, a second computer in the SSOL (usually Saturn) is used to create an on-screen display of flight information which can be displayed on the big screen TV at the front of the lab. This gives all personnel and visitors in the SSOL a continually updated overview of the mission status.

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The display consists of six components:

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Altitude display

Team status

Countdown timer

Mission status message

Telemetry data

Ground-track map

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Each component is generated by a separate application running on the display computer. However, the applications are not controlled using the display computer. Instead, they are controlled remotely over the lab network. This is achieved by a program called Automated Mission Status Control Panel (AMStat Control Panel) which is run on the Console Control Computer (usually Thor.)

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The AMStat Control Panel can be used to change the team status indicators between Go and No-Go, control the countdown clock, hide or show the display components, and update the mission status message.

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The Flight Equipment Setup procedure prepares the SSOL for receiving data and running flight software. It needs to be started 1½ hours prior to the FRR, and should only be started when a transmitting spacecraft is available. The Engineering Director is responsible for ensuring that there is a transmitting spacecraft at this time.

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Flight Equipment Setup

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TNC <=> Computers connections

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The RS232 serial connections between the TNC, the console data computer, and the computer running SBS need to be in place. Usually, these are not removed between flights, but it is important to check them at this stage to ensure all data will be getting to the computers.

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Data Radio

The data radio receives on a frequency of 446.375 MHz. The received signal can be monitored as an audio signal by using the monitor control. Additionally, the signal strength needle, when set to S/PO, allows monitoring of the signal strength. A strong signal will pin the needle to the right each time a packet is received.

Set to S/POPower

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TNC and Console Data Computer (Goddard)

The Console Data Computer (Goddard) should be running the Telix terminal emulation software. When the TNC is powered on, it will display an initialization screen in Telix.

TNCinitializationscreen

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Azimuth-Elevation Controller

The antenna azimuth-elevation controller should also be powered up and pointed approximately north at this time (assuming Howe Hall is the launch site).

Power

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Wall Map

Tracks from previous flights should be erased from the wall map. The Des Moines VORTAC should be plotted on the map, together with a line showing magnetic north from it. Refer to the procedure for the details of the VORTAC position.

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Other Items

The Equipment Setup procedure contains a list of other items in the lab which should be checked at this time. The Flight Equipment Checklist should be completed as the items on this procedure are completed.

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This procedure should be started immediately after the Flight Equipment Setup procedure. It ensures all the computers in the lab will be set up ready for the remainder of the mission.

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Flight Software Setup

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TV Scan-Converter

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The TV scan-converter takes the VGA signal from the computer display card and converts it into a Super-Video signal suitable for display on the big screen TV. The scan-converter is usually connected to the Display Computer (Saturn). To avoid equipment damage, all items should be turned off before making or breaking any connections between them.

Thru Out Analog RGB In

S-Video

DC In

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The signal from the computer display card is fed into the scan-converter via the Analog RGB In connector. This signal is passed through the converter to the Thru Out connector so that, by connecting the monitor here, the signal is displayed on the monitor and big screen simultaneously.

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To monitor From computer

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There is a Super-Video cable running from the big screen through the ceiling and coming down near Athena. This cable should be connected to theS-Video connector on the scan-converter. A transformer can then be plugged in to provide DC power to the converter. The red light will come on.

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To monitor From computer

To TVFromtransformer

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Because the TV is not high resolution, the best display is obtained by setting the display card to 640 x 480 pixels, at 60Hz refresh frequency, with 65536 colors.

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At the TV, the “Desktop SVGA” cable which comes down from the ceiling needs to be connected to the TV, and the TV channel set to S-Video.

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Serial Broadcast System (SBS)

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SBS is run on the Console Control Computer (Thor). It can be found in the Flight Team Software folder on the Y: drive.

After running the software, the settings should be set as defined in the procedure. This sets SBS to filter the incoming data and provide the filtered data to the various display programs. For example, the altitude display only needs altitude data.

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Big Screen Software

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For mapping the spacecraft ground track, we currently use a combination of Street Atlas 5 and APRS+SA. The function of APRS+SA is to take data transmitted from the spacecraft and convert it into a file format that can be read by Street Atlas.

APRS+SA is not very stable, so it is important to ensure all its settings are correct by following the procedure carefully.

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The software for displaying bus voltages, mission message, altitude, countdown clock, Go/No-Go status, and telemetry should also be started. As previously explained, this software is controlled remotely, and therefore the display windows will not appear at this time even though the software is running.

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AMStat Control Panel should now be started on the Console Control Computer, usually Thor. On starting, the software will request two IP addresses. Usually you will use the addresses of Thor and Saturn here. However, if a different computer from usual is being used for running SBS or the display software then its IP address should be used instead.

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Flight Control Software

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Once running, AMStat Control Panel should be used to show each of the windows on the display computer.

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Finally, the position of the Street Atlas window can be adjusted so that it fills the upper right area of the screen on the big screen display.

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Flight Equipment Use

Adjusting antenna orientation

The Flight Equipment Use procedure covers:

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To control the antenna orientation during flight, use the Yaesu Elevation-Azimuth Dual Controller G-5400B located in the equipment cabinet. First, estimate the direction and angle from the horizontal of the spacecraft from the SSOL and use the two buttons on the box to move the antenna into roughly the correct position.

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Antenna Orientation

Azimuthindication:E to W

Elevationindication

Elevationcontrol

Azimuthcontrol

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Usually this will give adequate reception for most of the flight. However, near the end of the flight, or for a particularly long flight, finer adjustment may be required. This can be achieved by tweaking the antenna until the strongest signal is achieved, as measured by listening to the audio signal and by the signal strength indicator.

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Needle should show maximumdeflection to the right.

Signalstrengthindicator

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The Flight Software Use procedure covers:

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Flight Software Use

Showing/hiding a window on the big screen display

Go/No-Go team status

Mission status message window

The countdown clock

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From the AMStat Control Panel, click the Properties button for the window you wish to change.

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To show or hide a window on the big screen display

Check or uncheck the Window Visible box.

Click Okay.

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On the AMStat Control Panel, use the toggle button for that team.

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To Change the Go/No-Go status of a team

Note: All teams and the mission must be Go before the countdown will count.

Note: When one of launch, flight or recovery becomes No-Go, the mission automatically becomes No-Go also.

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Use Notepad to edit the file Y:\Status.txt. The first line of the message is the mission identifier, the remaining lines are additional information.

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To change the mission status message in the message window

When the message is ready, save it, then click the Update button in the message window section of the AMStat Control Panel.

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To set the clock to zero (usually at launch) click the Zero button. The clock will begin counting up from zero.

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To adjust/start/stop the countdown clock

To set the time to an arbitrary value, click the Set button. This also allows you to set the clock to count up or down. Note: When the time reaches zero, the clock will automatically start counting up.

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This part of the training covers

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SSOL Communications

Communication between the launch/flight/recovery teams and and the mission manager.

The visual link from the SSOL to the launch site via the faculty mail room.

This visual setup procedure is only valid for the Howe Hall Primary Launch Site.

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The SSOL communicates with the launch site and recovery vehicle by a voice radio connection. To operate this radio, simply switch it on, turn up the volume, then press the key down when you wish to talk. It is best to hold the key in firmly for about a second before beginning to talk, and continue to hold it firmly while talking. Of course, you will need to release the key in order to listen to the person on the other end of the radio link.

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Power andvolumecontrol

Push hereto talk

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HABET Team Menu


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Use a stationary stool to stand up and reach the tile (NOT A CHAIR WITH WHEELS). Gently push up on the far tile and push it aside. Just south of the tile you pushed up, reach and you will feel the cable. Carefully pull the slack cable down from the ceiling.

The coax cable for the video cord has been routed through the ceiling to the SSOL Lab. When not in use, the cable is tucked away above the ceiling tile in the Northeast corner of the room. The Camera is stored in the SSOL in the brown cabinet.

The video cable plugs in the back of the camera, and the power supply can be plugged in just to the left.


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Remember that this is the faculty mail room, and if we wish to keep on using it, we will be nice an neat with our operations here, and respect the other faculty using it.

When the mission is complete, take the Camera back into the SSOL Lab and securely tuck the coax cable back above the ceiling tiles, and replace the tile you moved earlier.

One thing to do is to make the large black coax wire to the camera as inconspicuous as possible. We don’t want to have our little operation be a ugly mess.


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In the SSOL, the coax cable should have the RCA adapter on the end, and should be plugged into the back of the VCR. The connector colored Yellow on the input set of connectors is the correct one to use.

The VCR should be set to channel L (for Line In). This will allow the TV in the back as well as the Big Screen to see the launch site video from the VCR Output.

To use PIP (Picture in Picture) on the Big Screen TV, have the input already on S-Video, then press the PIP button, you should see the Launch Site Video. You can then move or adjust the size of the PIP with the controls.


HABET Team Menu


Once a HABET spacecraft has been launched, we have no control over where it flies - it is at the mercy of the wind. Therefore, it is important to be able to predict where it will land before and during a flight, and to track it while it is flying. It is also important not to launch if there are indications of adverse weather conditions forecast for the flight area.

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Tracking, Prediction, and Weather

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Tornado = Extremely Bad!Thunderstorms and Rain = Bad


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The procedures for tracking, prediction, and weather are:

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Local Weather Status

Pre-FRR Flight Prediction

Launch Day Prediction Update

Post-Launch Prediction Update

Post-Burst/Cutdown Prediction Update

During Descent Prediction Update

Manual Flight Tracking

Manual Flight Prediction

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HABET Team Menu


This procedure is used to obtain a forecast of weather conditions in the local area of the flight. We are mainly concerned with the possibility of flying into thunderstorm clouds.

Note: It is the launch team’s responsibility to ensure the weather is suitable for launching. It is the flight team’s responsibility to ensure the weather over the range of the flight is suitable. However, these two are clearly related and there will be strong interaction between the teams in this area.

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Local Weather Status

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This procedure should be completed 30 mins before the FRR, and repeated again on flight day.

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Weather Information can be obtained from all over the web, however a page of useful weather links has been compiled and is running from our server. http://cosmos.ssol.iastate.edu/Habet/flightwx.html

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If the forecast or radar suggest the possibility of significant thunderstorm activity in the area of the flight path, this should be brought to the attention of the mission manager, either at the FRR, or at another appropriate time.

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Flight Menu

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HABET Team Menu


The first prediction of the flight path should be performed 45 minutes before the FRR.

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Pre-FRR Flight Prediction

All flight prediction is performed using a piece of custom software called FlightConsole. If FlightConsole fails and cannot be re-started, follow the Manual Flight Prediction procedure.

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The FlightConsole software is a customized program written exclusively for use in the SSOL for HABET balloon tracking. It is written in C++.

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Log on to the Console Flight Computer (Ariane).

Use Explorer or My Computer to locate the “FlightConsole.exe” file in the C:/Work/Code/C++/Flight Console/Release folder.

There is also shortcuts to Flight Console in the start menu, not there are two builds of the software for our two different parachute sizes, make sure you are using the appropriate one.

Start Menu shortcuton Ariane

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Once FlightConsole has been started, the Console Control window will be the only open window. Fill in all the applicable fields for the current mission. Use the information from the ‘Launch Data Sheet’ to fill in the Launch Time, Mission Designation, Balloon Type, Stack Weight, and Scale Reading.

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Check the Fly to burst box if the balloon will be going to maximum altitude. Otherwise uncheck the box and enter the Cutdown altitude in the Max altitude field. Also fill in the Hold time field if the mission requires an altitude hold time. Click on both Update buttons to load the information into FlightConsole.

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UpdateButton

UpdateButton

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The newest version of Flight Console has a more versatile range of atmospheric data that it can use. The software is capable of reading the slew text files from Davenport and Omaha, as well as MAPS, RUC and RUC2 text files provided by :

http://www-frd.fsl.noaa.gov/mab/soundings/java/

The following page describes how to use this website. You must go to this site and save the winds manually, the software is setup to read files that you create on the local hard drive.

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FlightConsole creates a prediction of the spacecraft flight using data about upper atmosphere air conditions which is downloaded from the Web.

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Midway down the page you’ll find this Java control box pictured below. It has 4 different inputs, then the choice to output as a Java-based plot or an ASCII text file in FSL format. The first option is the data source. Flight Console is currently setup to use the MAPS and RUC-2 forecast models for input.

The second option is for the start time of the data, for our purposes we will almost always have the latest data selected.

The third option is the number of hours past that start time that it will give you data for. If you select 3 hours, you will receive 3 different plots at hourly intervals all in the same text file.

The last option is the station code for the location to use. Ames is AMW, lists are provided to the right of other stations.


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Once you have selected all the variables, you can press the button for ASCII Text file (FSL format). This will output a set of tables like the one below. The header information tells you what model is being used, in this case MAPS. It also tells you the location and the time. The time is the most important, this one is for 1400Z for May 29, 2001. Since several times will be given if you selected more than one hour to be shown, you must manually delete the other data tables and leave only one that you wish to use. If there is another header and set of information, the software will not work properly. Once you have just the data you want, save it to the files winds1.txt and winds2.txt.

If you wish to average two winds, you can save one as winds1.txt and the other as winds2.txt. Remember that making these files is your responsibility, the computer WON’T do it automatically.


HABET Team Menu


Open the Predicted Flight Path Map by clicking on the View Menu and selecting Map. A large map of central Iowa will appear with the predicted flight path of the balloon. The green line is for ascent (and hold time if applicable) and the purple line is for descent.

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DescentAscent

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Now the No-Fly Zones and the No-Landing Zones must be added to the Map. Go to the View Menu and click on Properties. In the Properties Control Panel, click on the Exclusion Zones tab.

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Click on the Import button in the No-Fly Zones section of the Exclusion Zones window. An Import No-Fly Zones window will appear. Highlight the Default.nfz file by clicking on it and then click the Open button.

This will load the current default No-Fly Zones for Iowa that are used by the Flight Team.

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The ONLY No-Fly Zones that have been currently established are for Des Moines and Cedar Rapids (because of the controlled airspace around their airports). Both of these locations should now appear in the No-Fly Zones window.

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Click on the Import button in the No-Landing Zones section of the Exclusion Zones window. An Import No-Landing Zones window will appear. Highlight the Default.nlz file by clicking on it and then click the Open button.

This will load the current default No-Landing Zones for Iowa that are used by the Flight Team.

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There are a number of No-Landing Zones around Iowa that are in the default file. These include larger cities (like Ames & Des Moines) and also large bodies of water and river areas (like Saylorville reservoir and Red Rock reservoir).

All of the current default locations should now be visible in the No-Landing Zones window.

Now click the OK button and the appropriate No-Fly Zones and No-Landing Zones will appear on the flight path prediction Map

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The No-Fly Zones and the No-Landing Zones will appear as circles centered at the GPS locations shown in the Exclusion Zones windows.

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No-Landing Zones

No-Fly Zone

The mission is a NO-GO if:

- the flight path passes through any No-Fly Zones

- the predicted landing is in a No-Landing Zone

- the predicted Ground distance is more than 120 miles

A waiver may be obtained from the EMT for any of these flight rules.

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There should be three copies printed - one for the Mission Manager, one that goes with the FAA Fax, and one for the Recovery Director.

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Verify that all information about the flight is correct - if not go back and change the appropriate fields, then reprint the map.

Once the prediction map has been completed, it will be necessary to print it out. Go to the File Menu and click Print.

Verify all Flight information is correct!!!

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HABET Team Menu


DO NOT QUIT FLIGHTCONSOLE - leave it running on the Console Flight Computer (Ariane), or the current computer in use for the upcoming mission.

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The new version of Flight Console WILL NOT automatically update the flight path. You must go in and save new wind files as described earlier (winds1.txt and winds2.txt). Since the models will have been run more recently or soundings done more recently, they will be different. Verify that all of the information is correct for the spacecraft data. Click on the update button to verify that the prediction hasn’t changed. Also double-check the stack weight with HABET Engineering for a more accurate flight path prediction.

If FlightConsole isn’t running, start it as in the pre-FRR setup and proceed accordingly.

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Launch Day Prediction Update

Click the buttonto calculate a newprediction

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The prediction map should be printed, labeled, and shown to the MMGR. A second copy should be printed and given to the RD for reference by the recovery team during recovery.

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The same rules for launch as for the initial prediction apply here. HABET will only launch with an acceptable flight path. If an acceptable flight path cannot be obtained, the Flight Team will be NO-GO and we will not launch.

Acceptable flight path and landing zone

Flight path and landing in any of these areas would be unacceptable (without a waiver)

DO NOT QUIT FLIGHTCONSOLE

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HABET Team Menu


FlightConsole should already be running on the Console Flight Computer (Ariane). If not, follow the startup procedure as in the pre-FRR flight path prediction entering all data values as necessary.

Ensure that FlightConsole is receiving data from the SBS system running on the Console Control Computer (Thor). The Console Control window should have ‘thor.ssol.iastate.edu’ entered into the “Host” window under Data Computer. Leave the port setting at 23. Click on the Connect button. You may view the raw data coming from the SBS by clicking the View menu and selecting Raw Data – data packets should be visible in this window.

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Post-Launch Prediction Update

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Since this is the Post-Launch Prediction Update, the Launch button should have been already clicked in the Flight Control section – if it hasn’t been, do so.

FlightConsole will update the landing prediction upon receipt of each new packet of data received from the SBS. Actual balloon ascent rate is now available for prediction.

Print the new landing prediction map by ensuring that the map window is active, then select Print from the File Menu.

Immediately inform the Mission Manager and the Recovery Team of any landing zone changes.

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HABET Flight Menu

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HABET Team Menu


After the balloon has burst or has been cut away from the rest of the stack, the SSOL will have recorded the movement of the spacecraft all the way up through the atmosphere. FlightConsole will have used this data to continuously update its landing zone prediction.

FlightConsole should still be running on Ariane. Ensure that data packets are being received and that the landing zone prediction is being updated. Make the Map the active window and print it by selecting Print in the File Menu.

Immediately inform the MMGR and the Recovery Team of the updated landing zone.

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Post-Burst/Cutdown Prediction Update


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As the spacecraft descends, its predicted position will be automatically replaced by its actual position. FlightConsole performs this function with the reception of each new data packet.

FlightConsole should still be running on Ariane. Ensure that data packets are being received and that the landing zone prediction is being updated. Make the Map the active window and print it by selecting Print in the File Menu.

Immediately inform the MMGR and the Recovery Team of the updated landing zone. This is the MOST important reason for performing update.

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During-Descent Prediction Update


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Note: Manual flight tracking is not required for a normal flight. However, it may be used as a backup mechanism if there are sufficient staff available on the team. If automated prediction/tracking fails, this backup can then take over.

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Manual Flight Tracking

The flight time, latitude, longitude, and altitude of the spacecraft should be read from the big screen display or directly from the raw data on the console data computer. This information should be recorded in the “Flight Tracking” section of the Flight Data Sheet.

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Plot this position on the wall map located behind the console, using a non-permanent marker pen.

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Note: Latitude and Longitude values have the format “ddmm.mmmm”. The first two digits are degrees, the second two are minutes, and after the decimal point the digits are tenths, hundredths, thousandths, etc. of minutes. The digits after the point do NOT represent seconds.

DegreesMinutes10ths mins100ths mins1000ths mins10000ths mins

Latitude Value

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There are 60 minutes in a degree.

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Longitude is parallel to the horizontal direction on the map, and increases from RIGHT to LEFT. This means that 9130.00 is to the left of 9129.00

Latitude is parallel to the vertical direction on the map and increases from bottom to top.

The plotting procedure should be repeated approximately every 3 to 5 minutes throughout the flight. 9000.009100.009200.009300.009400.00

4100.00

4200.00

4300.00

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Manual flight prediction should only be used if the prediction software (FlightConsole) fails after launch. If failure occurs before launch, the flight team immediately switches to No-Go.

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Manual Flight Prediction

For manual prediction, the team should be manually tracking the location of the balloon as previously described.

As long as the spacecraft appears to be following the last automated prediction, do nothing.

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If the spacecraft is deviating significantly from the last automated prediction, make a new prediction based on the following:

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1. Prior to burst/cutdown, there is not much you can do except give the general direction that the spacecraft is travelling.

2. After burst/cutdown, the path on descent will appear to be nearly a mirror image of the path on ascent since the spacecraft will be experiencing approximately the same wind conditions on the way up as on the way down.

3. Adjust the descent path to shorten the high altitude portion (>50,000 feet) and lengthen the low altitude portion (<15,000 feet). This is because the descent rate is initially very fast and finally very slow due to the change in atmospheric density.

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FAA regulations require that we keep them informed of the status of our spacecraft at various stages throughout a mission. Communication with the FAA is accomplished via fax, and is the responsibility of the flight team.

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FAA Faxes

For the Town Engineering Primary Launch Site, faxes are sent to:

Minneapolis Center

Des Moines Tower

Fort Dodge Automated Flight Service Station.

Chicago Center

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During a mission, the FAA is informed:

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Launch18K Ascent45K Ascent

18K Descent45K Descent

Landing

Post-MRRPost-FRR

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The FAA are given the SSOL fax and phone numbers in case they need to contact the HABET team. If you answer the phone from the FAA, inform the MMGR if possible, or the FD if the MMGR is not available.

In addition, two other faxes may be sent:

If the flight is canceled, a Flight Cancellation Fax is sent.

If the flight path changes significantly from the prediction, a Flight Anomaly Fax is sent.

Also, the Launch Fax will be resent if launch time changes by greater than +/-30 mins.

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Faxes for the FAA are produced automatically by the FlightConsole software:

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The MRR, FRR, Launch, Cancellation, Anomaly, and Landing faxes are generated from the FlightConsole software by clicked on the drop-down menu and selecting the appropriate fax.

The Launch,18K ascent, 45K ascent, 45K descent, and 18K descent faxes are generated automatically from within the FlightConsole software during a mission if the Auto-print faxes box is checked.

Click the box to Auto-print FAA faxes during the flight.

Click the arrow to select the appropriate fax.

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HABET Team Menu


The faxes that are sent to the FAA must contain certain information that the FAA deems important. This information may be entered using the Properties Control Panel. Select the View Menu and click on Properties. In the Properties Control Panel select the Fax Data tab. This will show all relevant data needed by the FAA for each fax. It includes nearest airport, VORTAC (typically Des Moines), a general description of the balloon (or balloons), parachute, weight of spacecraft, and total stack weight.

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Certain information about the balloon, etc. will be defaulted in the Properties Control Panel.

Edit the descriptions as necessary. Most will not have to be changed – however the Hardware Description panel is NOT complete and must be filled out to match the appropriate spacecraft parameters for a given mission. Also include the type of helium balloon (or balloons used) for the mission.

Double check the defaults to make sure they are correct – then click okay to close the Properties Control Panel. Complete all

sections of this area

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Sending the fax

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The fax machine we use is the HP OfficeJet located next to the flight console. It is connected to the same phone line as the console phone, so you will not be able to use this phone while faxing is in progress. Use the main lab phone instead.

Load the page(s) into the machine, face down. For the FRR and Anomaly fax, also include a print-out of the prediction map.

Load pages face downinto here

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The fax machine is programmed to automatically send the fax to all four FAA contacts. To do this, press “Speed Dial”, then type “61”, and press “Start”.

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It can take up to 20 minutes to send a fax to every destination, so periodically check back until the machine displays a “Ready” message.

Now print a report to act as a record that the faxes were sent. Press “Menu” “>” then “Enter” four times.

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HABET Team Menu


If the report indicates that the fax was not correctly sent to a destination then you should attempt to send it again, but only to the failed destination. To do this, use “Speed Dial” “0x” “Start” where x is one of:

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Procedures Menu

“2” for Des Moines“1” for Minneapolis

“3” for Fort Dodge“4” for Chicago.

If a fax cannot be sent after three attempts, notify the FD and record that the destination could not be contacted. Print a report, as before, so we have a record of which faxes were sent, and which, if any, were not.After the fax has been sent, it should be filed at the back of the Flight Director folder.

HABET Flight Menu

Documents

Flight Procedures