Titans in Space Near Space Upcoming Balloon Launch - LEO-1

The Olde Towne Middle School Radio and Technology Club & Science Club would like to announce their upcoming near-space balloon launch. The launch will take place March 3rd at 9:30 plus or minus a little for wx delays. The balloon and payload will be named Leo-1 after Leo McGehee K5LEM (SK) who was a vital member of our chase on our first balloon launch last Spring. This year we are focusing on using the balloon as a payload delivery system for science projects that are dependent on getting into the stratosphere.

One major change is that we are attempting a HF and VHF telemetry reception record as shown on arhab.org. Please let your friends in South America and Europe know about the flight and what to listen for. If you copy telemetry from either unit, email or snail mail me(N5VEI or KC5NXD) your copy to receive a QSL card. We need all the reports we can get, ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM OVERSEAS OR SOUTH OF THE BORDER!

Below are the flight details:

Olde Towne Middle School Near-Space Exploration Program 2011-2012

Mission name: LEO-1 (dedicated to Leo McGehee, K5LEM (SK))
Date: Primary March 3, 2012 - 9:30am Central time, backup - March 4th 1pm Central time
Launch location: Gluckstadt, MS near the Nissan Plant (142 Calhoun Parkway, Madison, MS)
Payload: Balloon - Kaymont 1200g, Gas - He, Parachute - modified 5 ft. rocket chute

Radio payload:
Big Red Bee APRS - KC5NXD-12 (webpage: aprs.fi and search for the callsign), SPOT Locator, GOPRO HD camera, voice beacon on 146.565 Mhz, HF telemetry - Frequency: approx 14.104 (plus 1500 on the waterfall) 1 minute on and 1 minute off - DominoEx-16, RTTY 110, CW (DominoEx16 – full telem., RTTY 110 – full telem., Hell and CW are Altitude only). Common software for all modes is FLDigi. #Google: FLDigi high altitude balloon. #Set it up to relay telemetry to the internet if you can - setup guide: http://ukhas.org.uk/guides:tracking_guide.

Science payload:
Mini Wx Station, high speed particle test, DNA mutation bacteria, adhesion test, extreme battery test, low pressure expansion test, elasticity test, water loss test, sound distortion test

Tracking: 1) go to the following webpage: http://aprs.fi and search for the callsign KC5NXD-12
2) go to http://spacenear.us/ and look for either KC5NXD or N5VEI

Prediction page: http://nearspaceventures.com/w3Baltrak/readyget.pl

Radio and Tech Club Goals:
### 1) Reach 85,000 feet
### 2) Recover the payload
### 3) Get students interested in science experimentation
4) Get the students and the public interested in amateur radio and near space exploration
5) Encourage science techniques, experimentation, and developing engineering skills

Science Club objectives:
### 1) Engage students in STEM related hands-on learning
### 2) Promote critical thinking skills
### 3) Increase science awareness with real-world applications
### 4) Develop sound experimental designs utilizing the scientific method
### 5) Conduct quantitative analysis to aid in scientific skill development

Possible mission scrub causes: Excessive winds, rain, severe weather

Sponsors: ###
1) Frank Howell, K4FMH - k4fmh.com - Big Red Bee GPS unit
### ### 2) Mississippi State University - Helium gas
### ### 3) Bill Richardson, N5VEI - OTMS Radio and Tech Club sponsor
### ### 4) Bobby Robinson - OTMS Science Club sponsor
### ###
Equipment: GOPRO Camera, Big Red Bee Balloon APRS unit, Doppler DF Instruments voice beacon, SPOT Locator, WB8ELK HF telemetry unit, and one unregistered geocoin to count as possibly one of the first if not the first to go to the stratosphere.



Needs:
Sponsors
Tracking teams
Local monitors for APRS and other tracking systems

 

Good Luck and "Godspeed". One made it deep into the Mediterranean recently.

 

Yeah I watched that one! I wish we could try that, but I think we are going to try for a telemetry record. Thanks for the kind comments and track us if you can.
Bill R.
N5VEI

 

Good luck with this. Wonderful to see kids stimulated by something other then the TV, Ipads and cell phones.

 

Cool

73
Chip W1YW

 

Looks like a very ambitious mission, and great science payload. This has all the elements of a NASA payload minus the $millions$ and nasty fuels (hydrazine). All of you particularly students will get a learning experience very few will ever get. It all looks interesting and encourages me to organize something like this with K6RPT and local STEM groups.

 

Good Luck. I will be tracking and will send a report if I hear anything.

 

I keep saying that our amateur balloonists and our amateur rocketeers need to get together. If a balloon can take a multistage rocket to 50,000 feet, I'd think you could achieve at least a suborbital rocket flight from there, though orbit might be beyond the reach of the largest amateur rocket.

 

Sounds cool -- I'll give it a listen. Doubt I'll set up FLDigi for the telemetry -- setup seems overly complicated. I assume the balloon will alternate modes as it sends the various things?

 

Not just height--need sufficient velocity. Can't achieve that with amateur engines. Balloon height only cuts down the loss to rocket drag and lets the engine run longer.But not long enough.

73,
Chip W1YW

 

Go, go Leo-1! You can do it, Olde Towne kids. Shoot for the stars! I hope you make Europe and recover the payload.

I totally second the idea of rocket launches from high altitude balloon platforms. Using APRS for the launch control would be really interesting. If y'all took up a collection to be the first middle school to launch a rocket into higher altitude space, I daresay you'll have quite a few donations. As it is, you all are great!

 

Good luck Bill and team OTMS! On your next voyage, I want you to contemplate dropping an APRS-based probe with bathymetry sensors into the Atlantic. It would stay active for a long time as its swept along by the currents. Any suggestions for this design, fellow hams?

Frank

 

It is actually pretty easy. Once you google it, hit the download button and it will take you to the right area. Once installed it is really easy, you just type in "KC5NXD" into the payload and then auto configure. That's it. RTTY 110 is the easiest to receive. You really do not even have to set it up to relay to the internet, but loading the payload in will make it easy to read the telemetry.

OH... we are not shooting for Europe! Looks like it will be Alabama at the most. If the prediction goes much further, I will send it up at a really hot rate and pop it early.

Bill R.

 

I wish my school had a program like this when I was in 7th, 8th or 9th grade. Good luck to all of you. I'll have my fingers crossed for you.

 

It sounds like a lot of fun. But I've always wondered and hope that somebody will tell me: Isn't there concern that a balloon on its assent might collide with an aircraft? Is there some step taken to avoid same, of just turn it lose and hope? Maybe shout "look out" very loudly?

K5CO