1. Low cost multi-purpose balloon-borne platform for wide-field imaging and video observation
Francisco Ocaña1, Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel2, Aitor Conde3
& Daedalus Team3
Universidad Complutense de Madrid,
(2) Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucía , (3) Asociación AstroINNOVA
30th June - SPIE 2016
Edinburgh, Scotland (UK)

2. Introduction Why balloons for astronomy?
Less atmosphere = less extinction, better seeing
Wider spectral windows
Close to the object (in the case of meteors)
And also for Earth Observation!

3. Introduction
Daedalus Team: amateur* group launching tropospheric balloons for fun
They met Sánchez de Miguel… why don´t we put a scientific payload and start making nighttime images?
Two scientific cases:
Meteors
Light pollution

4. Introduction +9 nighttime missions in the last 6 years
LP data used for Sánchez de Miguel thesis
Meteor data in analysis. Some preliminary data presented in conferences
Large instrumental development
Low-cost platform already developed (ready for your prototype!)
Basis for a larger professional platfform

5. Description of the platform
Styrofoam box with an anchorage point for the helium balloon/s.
Up to 4 observational ports: 3 at the sides and 1 aiming at nadir for Earth Observation
GSM, RF beacons + GPS tracker
Low cost!
Reusable (recovery and launch in 24h!)

6. Description of the platform
Passive craft*
Basic stabilisation
Nominal mission: 3 hour lenght, up to 30km high, free fall with parachute
Data stored locally
Navigation and sensing data
Instrumentation: camera, videocamera

7. Mission stages Planning Launch, lift, landing
Design of the flight, integration of the craft and instrumentation, request of permit
Flight is simulated following a protocol including dierent scenarios
Longest stage. It starts a week ahead. Logistics challenge for team.
Launch, lift, landing
Stabilisation system
Detection and recording systems

8. Mission stages Launch, lift, landing Stabilisation system
Detection and recording systems
Nighttime logistics…
Summer launches get some public

9. Mission list
9 nighttime missions 7 succesful scientific missions best balloon-borne meteor detections best/only balloon-borne LP remote sensing

10. Tracking and recovery
Default mode: Uncontrolled, unidirectional communication*
Tracking: beacons (GPS, GLONASS, RF and GSM)
* Implementation of cut&down system on progress
Strato Beacon Balloon - GSM (developed by Aitor Conde)

11. Tracking and recovery 100% recovery rate! Near miss…
Mission Geminids 2015

12. Tracking and recovery 100% recovery rate! Goal: easy recoveries…
Mission Lyrids 2016

13. Detection and recording
B&W high sensitivity low-res cameras + lossy compression video recorders (e.g., Watec 902H2 Ultimate)
Up to magnitude 2-4
EVIL cameras (e.g., Lumix LX7, Sony A7S)
Up to magnitude 6.5
Registered and stack image. Geminids th LPSC

14. Detection and recording
backlit sensor recording full HD
fps, 1/50 s exp. time, ISO 20000
magnitude 6.5 for stars, or 21.5 mag/arcsec2

16. Scientific output
High resolution images – georeferenced & available as KML files !
A. Sánchez de Miguel, PhD Thesis

17. Scientific output Meteor activity profile, flux measurements
Geminids 2012
Camelopardalids 2014
Geminids 2015 *
Quadrantids 2016
Lyrids 2016

18. ORISON
InnOvative Research Infrastructure based on Stratospheric balloONs
The goal of this European H2020-funded project is to carry out a feasibility and design study of an astronomically-oriented balloon facility that could deploy one or several small-to-medium-sized stabilized telescopes and a suite of other scientific instruments as light payloads to do state of the art research at acceptable costs, and not necessarily from remote locations. The facility could also have other uses outside astronomy.
Interested? Tell us your scientific case!
asteroidstnos.iaa.es/content/project-­‐orison

19. ORISON
ORISON pathfinder: Lyrids 2016 mission

20. Conclusions / Discussion
Low-cost platform readily available for astronomical instrumentation testing / prototyping
Wide-field imaging astronomy and Earth Observation
Further information
Video collection
Asociación AstroInnova
Proyecto Daedalus

21. Low cost multi-purpose balloon-borne platform for wide-field imaging and video observation
Francisco Ocaña1, Alejandro Sánchez de Miguel2, Aitor Conde3 & Daedalus Team3
Contact:
Acknowledgements: Special thanks to Daedalus Team current and former members: Pedro León, Fernando Ortuño, Aitor Conde, David Mayo, Miguel Ángel Gómez, Ruben Raya, María Teresa Ortuño and Alejandro Sanchez de Miguel.
GUAIX instrumentation group of the Universidad Complutense de Madrid, and to all the students and researchers that have participated in the dierent missions: Mario Fernández Palos, Jaime Izquierdo, Carlos E. Tapia Ayuga, Cristian Vázquez, Sandra Zamora and Jaime Zamorano.
30th June - SPIE 2016
Edinburgh, Scotland (UK)