HeliosCritical Design ReviewCalder Lane, Courtney Ballard, Ian Thom, Thomas Green, Matt Cirbo, Janelle Montoya10-6-11

Fall 2

011 Rev A

8-2-1

1

Mission Overview• Objective: To send a BalloonSat capable of wireless energy

transmission to an altitude of 100,000 feet and record data on the efficiency of transmission.

• Purpose: To evaluate the efficiency of wireless energy transfer at high altitudes for possible application on a larger scale.

• Hypothesis: The BalloonSat will transmit energy at a moderate efficiency to another satellite and provide it with electricity.

Wireless energy transfer would negate several of the problems with photovoltaic arrays today. Weather, atmosphere and other events that block electromagnetic radiation render solar panels on the ground totally useless. However, in space, in the correct orbit, a solar cell bearing satellite could provide and endless stream of energy to Earth through any condition. With several receiving stations, or a high power microwave generator, energy could be produced constantly and consistently.

RequirementFlow Down

1 Final flown weight of BalloonSat Helios shall not exceed 850 gramsa Lightweight materials shall be utilized in lieu of heavier

selections. However, such materials shall be durable enough to ensure the satellite remains intact during launch and descent.

b All electrical components shall be designed and arranged in such a manner as to minimize the size of the external structure to reduce weight and increase durability without additional structure where possible.

 2 A maximum of $250 provided by the class shall be used in purchasing necessary

components.a Research shall be done to identify and purchase quality

components for low prices.b Where possible, components shall be made and/or

assemble by the team to eliminate costs of pre-fabrication. For example, the circuit board for transferring power from the solar panels to the laser shall be etched on campus instead of ordered.

 3 BalloonSat Helios shall be able to record 90 minutes of data during its ascent to

30 km and remain intact during the following descent. a Durable materials that can withstand the shock experienced

during burst and the continuous motion during all other points of the flight shall be used.

b A carbon-fiber rod shall be used to maintain alignment between the two satellite structures, and the entire structure shall be tested to ensure it maintains its integrity during ascent and does not harm itself during descent.

c Foam shall be used to ensure all electrical components are insulated from shock due to motion of the BalloonSat.

d All electrical components shall be able to continue their proscribed tasks at temperatures down to -10oC, and shall have little to no drop in performance due to temperature where possible.

e An active heating system shall be fabricated and utilized to maintain a temperature of more than -10oC in the top structure.

f A radiating heating system shall be utilized in the bottom box to keep the microcontroller functioning and recording data.

g Insulating foam shall be used to maintain a temperature above -10oC in the upper box and in an appropriate range for the effective use of all electrical components.

4 BalloonSat Helios shall record data on the efficiency of transfer of energy with lasers.a A system of six solar panels on the top of the first structure shall

gather energy from the sun during ascent. The gathered energy shall then be run through a system designed and built by the team to provide energy to a 50mW laser.

b A 50mW laser shall be emitting light from the bottom of the first structure toward a filtered solar panel on the top of the second structure.

c The energy collected by the solar panel on the second structure shall be measure with a volt and ammeter to provide the necessary data for the calculation of watts.

d Upon retrieval, the data shall be collected and analyzed. The watts received by the lower panel shall be compared to the known and tested emissions from the laser. This data will also be compared to testing done on the ground to compare the change in efficiency.

 5 During the fight, a HOBO data logger shall collect internal and external

temperature data.a The HOBO shall be preprogrammed and placed in the top

structure of BalloonSat Helios with a temperature probe within and a second sticking out of the structure about 1-2 cm.

 6 During flight, a Canon SD780 shall take pictures of the exterior

environment.  a The Canon SD780 firmware shall be hacked to allow the camera

to record images at 10 second intervals during the entire flight.

Design (Proposal Requirements Met)• Testing efficiency of laser transfer of Energy

• Solar panels (both structures)• Laser diode• Volt-ammeter

• Satellite shall not exceed 850 grams• Lightweight, sturdy materials (i.e. carbon fiber)• Effective use of space in structures

• Data collected during ascent and descent• HOBO, temperature cable• Canon SD780 (also lightweight)

• Heater to maintain internal temp (make testing possible)• Satellite will remain intact• Durable materials• Foam for insulation and to avoid shock

Design (Structure)• Helios will integrate two separate boxes• One box will be used for energy transmission (Sat 1)

• Sat 1 will be a 15cm cube

• One will be used to receive energy (Sat 2)• Sat 2 will be 9x9x5cm rectangle

• Sat's 1 and 2 will be connected on the flight string and with two carbon fiber tubes to ensure energy transmission.

Design (Power)• Power will be provided by 9 solar cells• Solar cells will feed a 3.7 volt 2600mah lithium battery• A 3-6 volt 650nm 50 mw red laser will transfer power,

wirelessly between the two satellites.• Sat 2 will receive power using a 10th solar cell and route it

through a Microprocessor and Volt/Ammeter PCV board• A red light filter will be incorporated into Sat 2 for ambient

light filtration

Design (Thermal)• Three 9 volt batteries in Sat 1 will power a heater• Internal Infrared insulation and ambient heat will be used

to heat both satellites• Sat 2 will integrate extra internal infrared insulation and

“waste” heat from the microprocessors.• Both satellites will use external insulation as well.

Design (Data Storage)• Data will be stored on a 2 Gigabyte micro SD card.• Card will be contained within an Arduino card shield• Data will be measured by a PCB board with both volt and

amp analog outputs.• Data will be processed using an Arduino Uno

microprocessor.• These parts will all be contained within Sat 2

Design Renderings

Box Diagram

Volt/Ammeter PCB Board

Volt/Ammeter PCB Board

Switch 

Switch 

Arduino Uno and Micro SD card

 

Arduino Uno and Micro SD card

 

Onboard Heater 

Onboard Heater 

 Switch SwitchRechargeable

BatteryRechargeable

Battery

3x9V Batteries  

3x9V Batteries  

50-100mw Laser Diode

 

50-100mw Laser Diode

 

Photovoltaic Panel

 

Photovoltaic Panel

 

 Rechargeable Battery

 Rechargeable Battery

Camera 

Camera 

Solar Cells Solar Cells

Switch 

Switch 

3.7 Volt lithium battery 2600 mah3.7 Volt lithium

battery 2600 mah

2 Gigabyte SD card 

2 Gigabyte SD card 

HOBO 

HOBO 

Thermometer Barometer

 Hygrometer

Thermometer Barometer

 Hygrometer

Switch 

Switch 

Parts Used• Arduino Uno: Arrived 10/3 • AttoPilot Sense Breakout 180: Arrived 10/3 • MircoSD Shield: Arrived 10/3

• 3.7 Volt 2600 mAh LG Li-Ion Battery with PCB and WiresOrdered and expected to arrive 10/6-10/7

• Solar Cells: Ordered and expected to arrive 10/5-10/7

• 50mW 650nm laser: Ordered and expected to arrive 10/12

• Carbon Tubing: Ordered and expected to arrive 10/5-10/7

Testing• We will conduct the drop test, roll test, whip test, and cold

test (roll, drop, and whip all on 10/13 and cold on 10/20)• We will test the efficiency of the solar cells (10/11)• We will test the filter by emitting it to the sun and testing to

see how much energy is being produced by just the light from the sun (10/11)

• We will test to make sure that the solar panel is able to generate energy using the laser (10/20)

• We will test the alignment of the laser and the solar cell by using the vibration table in the ITLL (10/20)

Name Contact Info Main Position Secondary Position

Calder Lane 702-416-8862Calder.Lane@colorado.edu

Team LeaderStructure Science

Courtney Ballard

303-746-9379Courtney.Ballard@colorado.edu Thermal Electrical

Thomas Green

720-318-7765Thomas.Green@colorado.edu Electrical Programming

Ian Thom 303-927-9981Ian.Thom@colorado.edu Science Safety

Matt Cirbo 303-827-9695Matthew.L.Cirbo@colorado.edu Programming Thermal

Janelle Montoya

719-696-5860Janelle.Montoya@colorado.edu

Management and Budget Structure

Team Organization Chart

ScheduleDate Task: Due

Fri 9/9 -HW 03

Sun 9/11 -Project decision- Distribution of proposal responsibilities

Tues 9/13 -Unification and editing of proposal rough draft-Proposal questions-Discuss date for ITLL shop certification

Th 9/15 -Finalization of project proposal for turn-in, Assign specializations-HW 04, CoDR Slides

Fri 9/16 -Turn in project proposal to Prof. Koehler Proposal

Fri9/6 -Unification of CoDR Presentation Final Draft.-Assign presentation speaker order/run through pres.

Th 9/22 -Finalize HW 04-HW 06

Tues 9/27 -Meet with Prof. Koehler to order hardware and turn in HW 04-Distribute responsibilities for CoDR after appointment

HW 06 (Before class)HW 04 (At appt.)

Th 9/29 -HW 05 (Due 10/11)-DD Rev A/B-Begin Construction on structures and electronics

Tues 10/4 -Pre-Critical Design Review (pCDR) DD Rev A/B

Th 10/6 -pCDR

Th 10/6 -Construction (cont.)

Sun 10/9 -Have all components to assemble-Construction (cont.) -Ground test laser and solar panels

Th 10/13 -Complete prototyping design-DD Rev C

Th 10/20 -Complete cold test-LRR Presentation

Tues 10/25 -Pre-Launch Inspection (Bring all hardware)

Th 10/27 -In-Class Mission Simulation Test (Bring BalloonSat)

Th 10/27 -Finish LRR Presentation

Tues 11/1 -Launch Readiness Review (LRR) LRR Pres. and DD Rev C 7AM

Th 11/3 -Design Review-LRR Cards

Fri 11/4 -Final Weigh-in and Turn In BalloonSat BalloonSat DLC 270A & LRR Cards

Sat 11/5 -LAUNCH DAY

Th 11/10 -Data Analysis, Begin DD Rev D

Th 11/17 -Final Presentation, Assign speaking roles

Th 11/24 -Finalize Final Presentation/run through pres. -Finish DD Rev D

Tues 11/29 & Th 12/1

-Final presentations and reports Final Pres (11/29 @ 7 AM)

Sat 12/3 -Design Expo DD Rev D, Team Vids

Tues 12/6 -Hardware Turn-In

Item  Cost  Weight  Provided by/ Bought from HOBO Data logger  Provided  30 grams  Gateway to Space Class Foam Core and Aluminum Tape 

Provided  130 grams  Gateway to Space Class 

Canon SD780 IS  Provided  130 grams  Gateway to Space Class Heater  Provided  100 grams  Gateway to Space Class Flight/Test batteries  Provided and some 

bought with own money 

100 grams  Gateway to Space Class 

Flight Tube  Provided  10 grams  Gateway to Space Class Switches  Provided  20 grams  Gateway to Space Class Dry Ice  Bought with own 

money Not Included in the BalloonSat 

Online or store 

Arduino Uno  $29.95   30 grams  Sparkfun AttoPilot Voltage and Current sense breakout 180 

$19.95  10 grams  Sparkfun 

MircoSD Shield  $14.95  10 grams  Sparkfun Powerfilm 3V 25Ma Flexable Solar Panel(9) 

$62.55  27 grams  www.solarhome.org 

Powerfilm 3V 22Ma Flexable Solar Panel(1) 

$6.75  3 grams  www.solarhome.org 

50mW 650nm Laser  $18.04  100 grams  www.ankaka.com Carbon Tubing  $49.00  10 grams  dragonplate.com 3.7 Volt 2600 mAh LG Li-Ion 18650 Battery 

$24.95  50 grams  www.megabatteries.com 

       Total shipping and Handling  

20.76     

Total  247.30  760 grams           

Budget

Expected Results• We expect the satellite to receive low amounts of power in

the form of laser radiation and convert it back into useable electricity. This will then be measured in real time and stored for later analysis.

Biggest Worries• The laser doesn’t transfer the energy to the solar panel.• The carbon tubes are not stable enough to keep the laser

pointed to the solar panel.• Making the programing compatible to all the components.