Tag Archives: Near Space Flight

Oct 23 2013

South Charleston High students to launch satellite

South Charleston High School - Near Space Satellite

South Charleston High School – Near Space Satellite

The Miami Herald reports on the education work of radio amateurs Jeffrey Imel K9ESE and Joseph Oliver AA4KK. They are helping high school students to develop a balloon launched satellite.

Educators generally agree that hands-on activities are the best way to get kids interested in these disciplines, which are becoming increasingly important in the 21st century.

Tiffany Grigsby, an 11th-grader who is working on the satellites, is one of the students who needs no convincing. She wants to go into aerospace or aeronautical engineering in college and maybe work for NASA. For her, the satellite project is the ideal science project.

“I love outer space,” she said. “The unknown is so interesting. You don’t know a lot about it, and I’m here to learn … building a satellite is the perfect thing.”

Grigsby is a self-professed hands-on learner. She doubts she could learn how to build a satellite from a book, but she knows she’ll emerge from this class with those skills.

“And then it’s not just that you know what’s in there, it’s that you understand what’s in there.”

Read the full story at http://www.miamiherald.com/2013/10/23/3706377/south-charleston-high-students.html

The class is using crowd sourcing to raise money to purchase equipment for the project. To donate, visit http://indiegogo.com/projects/near-space-project

IARU Region 2 band plan recognizes Near Space Stations https://amsat-uk.org/2013/10/22/new-satellite-segment-in-iaru-region-2-bandplan/

Oct 10 2013

UKHAS Arctic Challenge

James Coxon M6JCX with a 434 MHz Pico balloon

James Coxon M6JCX with a 434 MHz Pico balloon

James Coxon M6JCX brings news of the UK High Altitude Society Arctic Challenge.

This is a challenge open to launch a balloon/payload from the UK that crosses the Arctic Circle before the next UKHAS Conference in September 2014.

The challenge will require both development of a payload, launching a floating balloon but also the ability to receive the data confirming it has crossed the Arctic Circle.

There is a prize for the first person to complete this challenge, obviously eternal glory but also a trophy and a cash prize.

For more information see the wiki page
http://ukhas.org.uk/ukhas:arctic_challenge

To get up-to-date information on balloon flights subscribe to the UKHAS Mailing List by sending a blank email to this address:
ukhas+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Jul 4 2013

Google Project Loon Interference Concerns

Google Project Loon Balloon

Google Project Loon Balloon

Concerns have been raised about interference from the 2400 MHz and 5800 MHz transmitters on the Google Project Loon High Altitude Balloons.

Google has launched 30 balloons from New Zealand which transmit wideband 2400 MHz and 5800 MHz signals and concerns have been raised about the interference they could cause to radio astronomy.

The Register reports that when Google engneer Dr Brad Tucker was contacted about the problem Google to said to have identified locations where Loon balloons might interfere with radio astronomy, and shut the transmitters down until they’re out of range.

Google plans to sending up 300 balloons around the world at the southern fortieth parallel that would provide coverage to New Zealand, Australia, Chile, and Argentina.

The company hopes to eventually have thousands of balloons flying in the stratosphere at an altitude of 20 km.

The Amateur and Amateur Satellite Services also use the frequencies that Project Loon is transmitting on.

Read the Register story at
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/07/02/project_loon_wont_blind_radio_telescopes/

Google Project Loon https://amsat-uk.org/2013/06/17/google-project-loon-using-2400-and-5800-mhz/

Jun 20 2013

Live Video Streaming from UKHAS Conference

SSDV picture from a PIE balloon - Image credit Dave Akerman M6RPI

SSDV picture from a PIE balloon – Image credit Dave Akerman M6RPI

The 3rd UK High Altitude Society (UKHAS) conference which takes place in London at Greenwich University on Saturday, September 7, 2013 is planned to be streamed live to the Internet.

The conference is open to anyone, you don’t have to have flown a High-Altitude Balloon, you’ll probably get more out of it as a total beginner as there will be a huge wealth of experience in the room you can speak to.

Further information is available at https://amsat-uk.org/2013/06/19/ukhas-conference-sept-7/

Videos of the presentations given at previous conferences are at http://ukhas.org.uk/general:ukhasconference

You can subscribe to the UKHAS Mailing List by sending a blank email to this address:
ukhas+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Jun 19 2013

UK High Altitude Society (UKHAS) Conference Sept 7

SSDV picture from a PIE balloon - Image credit Dave Akerman M6RPI

SSDV picture from a PIE balloon – Image credit Dave Akerman M6RPI

The 3rd UKHAS conference will take place on Saturday, September 7, 2013 in London. This year the venue will be at Greenwich University on the banks of the river Thames and just down the hill from the Royal Observatory and the (dreaded to HAB) meridian line (the venue is 51.48381, -0.0050) http://goo.gl/maps/KeOyc

The conference is open to all, you don’t have to have flown a High Altitude Balloon, you’ll probably get more out of it as a total beginner as there will be a huge wealth of experience in the room you can speak to.

A lecture theatre and adjacent classroom are being hired so will have a lot more space than last time. Lunch will be included as before.

The day plan will be most likely lectures in the morning and then in the afternoon workshops, demos and more informal talks. Provisional talks include:

James Coxon M6JCX – Pico Balloons (3 years on)
Ed Moore M0TEK – How GPS works
John Graham-Cumming – Debugging HABs (Part 2)
Ara Kourchian – US Ballooning
Dave Akerman M6RPI – Pi in the sky + Afternoon workshop

James Coxon M6JCX launching a PICO balloon on 434.301 MHz USB

James Coxon M6JCX launching a PICO balloon on 434.301 MHz USB

If you would like to do a talk or organise a workshop please contact James Coxon M6JCX directly. Email jacoxon at gmail.com

The conference will start at 0930 and finish 1700, afterwards there will be the traditional pub trip this time into Greenwich.

Greenwich University is easy to get to, it is on the DLR, lots of bus routes, mainline trains, Thames clipper river boat and not too far from the Jubilee line. There is some on street parking in the area but most will be pay and display.

Tickets will be £30 per person but we will offer a reduced price for students of £15, this enables the hire of the lecture theatre, classroom and also provides lunch. Tickets are on sale from HAB supplies.
http://ava.upuaut.net/store/index.php?route=product/category&path=74

The UKHAS conference is open to anyone, videos of previous conferences can be seen at http://ukhas.org.uk/general:ukhasconference

You can subscribe to the UKHAS Mailing List by sending a blank email to this address:
ukhas+subscribe@googlegroups.com

Jun 18 2013

ICSEDS 2012/13 video showcases Rocket and Balloon Achievements

UKSEDS & ICSEDS Project Officer, TeeJay Taiwo, prepares his rockets for his license assesment. Photo credit: Kishan, ICSEDS

UKSEDS & ICSEDS Project Officer, TeeJay Taiwo, prepares his rockets for his license assesment. Photo credit: Kishan, ICSEDS

This video is the Imperial College Students for the Exploration and Development of Space (ICSEDS) entry to the RBS ESSA bronze awards. It showcases their projects and events throughout the 2012/13 year.

In the video are interviews with Engine Design Group member Madeleine Alexander, High Powered Rocketry Member Zoe Edwards, High Altitude Ballooning member Oscar Woolnough and ISEDS Vice Chair Joseph Dudley.

ICSEDS thank Imperial College London Chemical Engineering Department for their support in our High Altitude Balloon (HAB) Project (434 MHz). Also thanks to Alex Cherney at http://www.terrastro.com and David Peterson for giving permission to use the two spectacular clips in the introduction, of the video.

More information on ICSEDS can be found at: http://www.union.ic.ac.uk/guilds/icseds
Follow ICSEDS on:
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ICSEDS
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ICSEDS

Watch ICSEDS 2012/13 – Imperial College Students for the Exploration and Development of Space