Let’s Design the first Cambodian Spaceship!!!Let’s Build the First Cambodian Spaceship!!

Barcamp PP 2010 All photos are © edjez, OurPaleBlueDot project

Let’s Design the first Cambodian Spaceship!!!

Why?

Our planet is a small and life on it is fragile

By seeing the earth from outside, some people begin to appreciate things differently

Especially children

(and it’s fun!)

From Space…

• There is no ‘them’, just ‘us’

• You can see the place where every human that ever was alive spent his life

• You can appreciate the totality of our natural resources

• We can see the importance of thinking of the planet as a closed system

Closed System =

• Finite resources• Nowhere else to throw trash• Nowhere else to farm land• Nowhere else to go conquer• Nowhere else to get resources

from• No undo• Just us

Much of our society’s governance methods, planning capacities and maybe even our religions evolved in ‘open system’ mentality

We’ve reached the limit of that illusion

PerspectiveThe atmosphere of earth is thinner than the layer

of paint on a football

All life on earth is in that thin layer

The atmosphere and our target

30 km80 km

So…technically we won’t be reaching “Space” but it’s close enough for our goal!

Don’t you need a rocket to go to space? - Nah, with something like SpaceShipOne you are OK to touch space and fall back

So why do space programs use rockets? - To develop enough speed for orbit, (to stay in space and not fall back down) you need a LOT of energy (many Kg of fuel per Kg of cargo!) – little planes are not enough

Let’s Design the first Cambodian Spaceship!!!

Let’s get with the program

Analyzing a complex project

Architecture RisksProcess

Helium Balloon lifting a box

with cameras and GPS Trackers

Build system, test it, launch, go recover it

Anticipate problems and work around

them

Lift Optics Recovery Climate Control

• Balloon• Helium• Ropes

• Picture Cam - Memory - Firmware• Video Cam - Memory - Batteries

• APRS Tracker - GPS Receiver - GPS Antenna - Beacon - VHF Antenna• SPOT Tracker• Paint• Signs• Parachute• $ for reward

• Hand Warmers

Safety

• Parachute• Radar Reflector

Every Critical Subsystem must have two primary independent units

Architecture

Schematics

Helium balloon – not Hydrogen!

Parachute

Small radar reflector

Laminated recovery note

Payload

Antenna

People

Important Parts - Tracking

SPOT TrackerBackup tracking system-Slow (10m)-Unreliable (<50%)-No altitude reports-Doesn’t work above 7000mts-Doesn’t need GSM signal-Rugged, low batt usage-24 hs of tracking from launch-Reports to web only, use GeoChat to forward to SMS

APRS Tracker – Byonics MT8000FAPrimary tracking system- Fast (15s)- Lat/Long/Alt- Reliable range (6W transmission)- Many parts (risky electronics)- GPS Works above 30km (Lassen iQ) - Using ¼ wave Yagi antenna

Chase & Find!

Important Parts - Optics

• 2nd hand Canon camera– CHDK on 2nd partition of SD card

• GOPro video camera– Many batteries– No case

“Ballooning” as a Hobby• Some have it as a hobby…

– Weather scientists– Electronics– DIY – Do It Yourself– Playing with GPSs– Maps and imagery– Radio electronics, radio control, telemetry– “Extreme Geocaching” (your target falls from 30km!)– The fun –and tension- of the chase

• You can develop it in your own direction• We do it to take pictures of the earth

• Green? Risks with batteries & helium shortage biggest concerns. Use LiPoly rechargeables and in the future learn to safely do Hydrogen launches

Plan Build PreLaunch Launch Recovery

DesignMaterialsTeamEventSchematicsLicensesRisk Analysis

AssembleTestCurseAssemble againTest….

PredictionPermitsPlan & ScheduleBatteriesMemory

TravelChecklistsInflateAssembleGo/No-GoTakeoff!

ChaseMapsVehicles(car boat bike)

GPSsGET NERVOUS

SEARCH & FIND

Process

Risk Analysis• Risk Model:

Threat Prob(%) Impact (Hi/med/low) Mitigation

• Use Risks to drive design & testing methods!!• Lens fogging• GPS fails• Radio Fails• Interference• Battery Dead• Lost Contact• Bad Roads• Payload Stolen• Camera freezes

• Laptop Dies• Firmware dies• Balloon gets damaged, burst• Incorrect amount of helium• Helium or Hydrogen?• Weather gets bad• Water Landing• Inaccessible terrain• Parachute gets tangled

• SPOT tracker dies• No cell signal• Lands on someone’s land• Batteries freeze• Shaky pics• Wind models wrong• Airplane runs into it• etc

Risks

Many industries use “Risk-Driven-Design” to build great products

Unique Cambodia Risks & Mitigations

• Safety: Must land away from mined/UXO areas– Takeo has lowest statistics, << 1% of Cambodia’s accident statistics– All search people MUST have LM/UXO briefing

• Road Conditions– Be patient and drive safely

• SSCA and CATS Regulations– Avoid all class B…D airspace– Spend little time in class A– Build extended radar reflector for TACAS– Wide clearing from any national borders

• Water landing: rice paddy, puddle or lake– Design a payload that can land in water– Inflatable boat– Boots. Change of clothes to get wet?

• Weather changes faster– Good Luck, launch in morning

It’s an Experiment!

• Many things not in our control

• We may loose all the equipment

•Problems may arise at inflation

• But.. no reason not to try again later

Let’s do some work!

Need 3 Teams

Team 1: Design and Build a large and lightweight Radar Reflector

Team 2: Start assembly of payload encasing

Team 3: Localize Logistics

Radar ReflectorTCAS Onboard Air Collision Avoidance, large mylar, wire and graphite structure

• Goal: Large (>1m2) radar-reflective 3D element

Payload Case

• Goal: Present and prepare basic Payload structure– Easy to assemble and disassemble– Cameras are ‘stable’ in their position (no wiggle)– Thermal insulation compartment– Top ‘layer’ for GPS and SPOT tracker

Logistics

• Goal: Khmer language and culture notes• Goal: Establish Launch and Land sites

– Easy for folks to understand – even cartoons?– Clear instructions: Leave outside with view of sky, we will

pick it up, reward offered

– Safe, reachable spot. Discuss alternatives, propose top 2 with pros and cons

Need your Help!

• Logo – what is the logo that we should give it?• Plan Launch to hit good land site (in Takeo?)• Need– Dolly

- Bedsheets to use as clean surface

What about launch?

• Still arranging logistics• Expect the unexpected• Everyone is responsible for

themselves and their family/friends

• Be ready for many hours in the car!

edjez@ourpalebluedot.net

Thanks!

1100 Billion

18 B

Sourceshttp://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/spending.htmhttp://facts.kff.org/chart.aspx?ch=1314 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_Budget

World Defense Spending

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There are people dying of hunger in the world – isn’t space exploration a waste of precious resources?

Space exploration is almost nothing compared to defense spending, and minor when compared to profit of major potentially unsustainable industries… and smaller than major relief and aid efforts. IMO ROI is positive.Ad

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