1. Daniel Taylor Nima Badizadegan R. Terry Black Pantelis Thomadis
Boston University
Daniel Taylor Nima Badizadegan
R. Terry Black Pantelis Thomadis

2. Mission 1: Communications
Determine packet loss in near-space environment
Measuring rate of packet loss at varying altitudes
Proof of concept for status beacon
Status beacon will begin when BUSAT is launched, contains vital status information
Important part of communications system

3. Data: COMMS Receive text beacon every 2 minutes after powerup
Similar loss to UN-7 comms link
Beacons sent: 27
Beacons received: 16
Highest ALT received: ~85k ft.
40% Loss
Makeshift Ground Station

4. Failure Analysis: COMMS
Not all packets received
Incorrect azimuth & elevation
Difficulty in pointing while mobile
Payload instability
No packets received after touchdown
Assumed catastrophic landing

5. Conclusions: COMMS Successful test of beacon
Transmitter worked throughout the entire flight
Plan to reevaluate link budget analysis

6. Mission 2: Magnetometer
Testing magnetometer in different thermal environments
Determine three orthogonal magnetic field vectors
Determine how well the magnetometer will work with interference

7. Data: MAG Only expectation is that values are obtained
113 points expected, actually got 128 data points per axis in flight, 170 points per axis total including launch and recovery wait times
Should show that the magnetometer reads values
from varying temperatures and altitudes
Should be comparable to IGRF

8. Actual Results: MAG All axes in microgauss End of Flight Balloon Bursty
Start of Flight Z x

9. Failure Analysis: COMMS

10. Failure Analysis: MAG
Impossible to compare to IGRF, should be compared to a local field rather than a global field
IGRF can only be used at a global level
Electrically, no failures

11. Conclusions: MAG Successful test of magnetometer reading
Magnetometer worked throughout the entire flight
Scientific mission unsuccessful, unable to analyze field for correctness
Know that we can read from magnetometer, and we have data to compare to a local field for future accuracy analysis and calibration tests