1. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview1 Introduction to the LA ACES Student Ballooning Course A summary of the motivation, contents and status of the materials available to support implementing a student built balloon payload program at a university or college

2. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview2 Motivation There has been little development of classroom materials to support the student built aerospace payload program. No materials for an integrated course –Need to cover diverse topics –Need to complete in academic year Focus on younger undergraduates –Work with ~2 nd year students Available “CanSat” electronics needed improvements Provide basis for an advanced program Launch of the ACES-01 vehicle during May, 2003

3. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview3 Basic SBC Structure Divided into two major components –Formal lectures and skill building activities (1 st semester) –Payload design, development and operation (2 nd semester) Detailed structure follows that used during the ACES pilot –Assume 14 weeks per semester –Two required sessions per week and each session is 2 hours long –For 1 st semester each required session includes ~1 hour lecture & ~1 hour activity –For 2 nd semester students are engaged in payload development Students will need to complete or extend their activities during times beyond the required sessions During payload development the students will need to prepare and present reports of their status

4. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview4 Anticipated Schedule

5. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview5 SBC Contents A course syllabussyllabus –Provides a summary of the Student Ballooning Course –Can be modified to fit institution needs Lectures –33 PowerPoint presentations covering the primary topics relevant to the program Activities –30 descriptions of hand-on activities that complement the lectures and build skills relevant to payload development List of materials necessary for the activities A hardware kit with the PCBs, microcomputer and other core components required to support the activities Evaluation forms –Feedback from both students and instructors is important

6. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview6 Student Ballooning Course Summary UnitsNum. Of Lectures Num. Of Activities Themes Introduction2 Overview of ACES & SBC Electronics810 Components, prototyping, soldering, assembly, CAD tools, data acquisition, A to D converters, power Programming78 BASIC Stamp, BalloonSat, digital I/O, serial I/O, RT clock, memory, peripherals, debugging Ballooning66 Vehicle overview, flight environment, payload construction, materials, thermal calculations, mechanical drawing, design guidelines, launch ops. Project Management 89 Project life cycle, system design, WBS, estimating costs, scheduling tasks, risk management, documentation

7. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview7 Electronics Unit Unit provides basic knowledge and skills in electronicsUnit Lectures & activities include –Electronic components –Prototyping & assembly techniques –Circuit design CAD tools –Data acquisition, ADC, DAC –Power sources, batteries, photovoltaic –Troubleshooting circuits

8. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview8 Programming Unit Unit provides basic knowledge and skills in programmingUnit Lectures & activities include –Intro to PBASIC & programming –Digital I/O –BalloonSat development board –Serial I/O –Memory storage, RTC, controlling motors –Testing and debugging

9. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview9 Payload Design Unit Unit provides basic knowledge and skills in payload designUnit Lectures & activities include –Balloon vehicle components –Flight profile & environment –Thermal issues –Mechanical drawing techniques –Design guidelines –Flight Readiness Review details

10. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview10 Project Management Unit Unit provides basic knowledge and skills in managementUnit Lectures & activities include –Project life cycle –System design & interface control –Defining project tasks & cost –Developing a project schedule –Risk & risk management –Documentation –Team work and leadership

11. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview11 SBC Hardware Components SkeeterSat is an introductory circuit assembly activity where the output beep frequency is temperature dependent and the interval between beeps is light intensity dependent BalloonSat includes a Basic Stamp microcontroller for programming activities. Can also be used as the payload controller HOBO data acquisition device with internal temperature sensor, external temperature probe and auxiliary input Miscellaneous Parts includes specialized components & sensors used by some activities The SBC distribution CD also includes numerous reference documents and specialized software

12. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview12 Science Unit Unit provides some background knowledge on selected science topicsUnit Anticipated lectures include –Atmospheric structure & composition –Cosmic rays & their interaction in the atmosphere –Remote sensing –Solar radiation Opportunity to use local faculty expertise Contributions are solicited and would be very welcome! Processed cosmic ray data from the ACES-01 FRED experiment

13. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview13 New for this year For this year we will be asking you to determine your science payload topic within the next week or so. Lecture next session will provide descriptions of potential payloads. –All will fit within the imposed weight, power, size, budget and time constraints –Intention is for you to choose a payload from this list Free to determine your own payload, but you will need to show that it will fit the constraints Think about applications to your payload while we go through the lectures and activities this semester.

14. LSU v09/08/05SBC Overview14 Issues concerning the SBC All lectures and activities are available through the LaACES website “Documents” page http://atic.phys.lsu.edu/aces/Presentations.html Any issues concerning the SBC can be addressed to T. Gregory Guzik e-mail: guzik@phunds.phys.lsu.eduguzik@phunds.phys.lsu.edu Or John P. Wefel e-mail: wefel@phunds.phys.lsu.eduwefel@phunds.phys.lsu.edu