Ground Station Tracking System

One of the Eclipse Ballooning Project’s main goals was to stream live video of the eclipse to the internet. To accomplish this task a tracking antenna was built to follow the balloon payload. As an added challenge, the task had to be completed on a budget. The “ground station” is the center for communication between the payload and user. This system utilizes GPS position reports from the payload via the iridium network to determine the balloons position. The computer algorithm takes in additional GPS and IMU data from the ground station to determine a relative heading to orientate the antenna to point at the balloon payload. The heading and pitch are controlled with independent servos. These subsystems all jointly interact to keep the antenna pointed at the balloon to within a few degrees or the communication would be lost

2017 Eclipse RFD-900 Still Image System

As part of the NASA Space Grant 2017 Eclipse Ballooning Project, Montana Space Grant Consortium designed a camera system capable of transmitting still images from a balloon borne payload to a remote ground station via a RFD-900 radio. This payload consists of a Raspberry Pi, a Raspberry Pi camera, custom power supply and a RFD 900MHz radio. This system was designed to record pictures at high and low resolution at altitude. The low resolution images could be selected for downlinking back to the ground via the radio, while the high resolution pictures were saved to the Raspberry Pi memory card. This poster describes the full hardware configuration and the communication protocol and graphical user interface used to receive the transmitted images

Location Tracking from High Altitude

With the increase in developing aerospace technology there is also a higher demand for aerospace programs at the academic level. High altitude balloons are an attractive tool to test and help develop these new technologies due to the potential of less cost and complexity of other test vehicles. For high altitude ballooning to be feasible to academia, the projects must fit size and weight constraints to avoid expensive components such as larger balloons, amounts of helium/hydrogen support, and requirements put forth by the FAA which can require the use of a transponder. If a smaller lighter payload can be used without a transponder but still provide air traffic control location information, high altitude ballooning programs would be more attainable by universities while not affecting the safety of air traffic. Our project aims to demonstrate the possibility for a balloon to provide dependable, near real time location information while remaining small, lightweight, and affordable. The balloon payload will utilize GPS, the Iridium Satellite Network, and the internet to make this goal a reality. Observers will have access to balloon location information through a mapping application and web server. The system will be tested and demonstrated during a total solar eclipse taking place in August of 2017. During the eclipse there will be 60+ high altitude balloons implementing our system that will be used by several air traffic control centers across North America. We can make high altitude ballooning a reality for more academic programs

Location Tracking from High Altitude

With the increase in developing aerospace technology there is also a higher demand for aerospace programs at the academic level. High altitude balloons are an attractive tool to test and help develop these new technologies due to the potential of less cost and complexity of other test vehicles. For high altitude ballooning to be feasible to academia, the projects must fit size and weight constraints to avoid expensive components such as larger balloons, amounts of helium/hydrogen support, and requirements put forth by the FAA which can require the use of a transponder. If a smaller lighter payload can be used without a transponder but still provide air traffic control location information, high altitude ballooning programs would be more attainable by universities while not affecting the safety of air traffic. Our project aims to demonstrate the possibility for a balloon to provide dependable, near real time location information while remaining small, lightweight, and affordable. The balloon payload will utilize GPS, the Iridium Satellite Network, and the internet to make this goal a reality. Observers will have access to balloon location information through a mapping application and web server. The system will be tested and demonstrated during a total solar eclipse taking place in August of 2017. During the eclipse there will be 60+ high altitude balloons implementing our system that will be used by several air traffic control centers across North America. We can make high altitude ballooning a reality for more academic programs

2017 Eclipse RFD-900 Still Image System

As part of the NASA Space Grant 2017 Eclipse Ballooning Project, Montana Space Grant Consortium designed a camera system capable of transmitting still images from a balloon borne payload to a remote ground station via a RFD-900 radio. This payload consists of a Raspberry Pi, a Raspberry Pi camera, custom power supply and a RFD 900MHz radio. This system was designed to record pictures at high and low resolution at altitude. The low resolution images could be selected for downlinking back to the ground via the radio, while the high resolution pictures were saved to the Raspberry Pi memory card. This poster describes the full hardware configuration and the communication protocol and graphical user interface used to receive the transmitted images

Ground Station Tracking System

One of the Eclipse Ballooning Project’s main goals was to stream live video of the eclipse to the internet. To accomplish this task a tracking antenna was built to follow the balloon payload. As an added challenge, the task had to be completed on a budget. The “ground station” is the center for communication between the payload and user. This system utilizes GPS position reports from the payload via the iridium network to determine the balloons position. The computer algorithm takes in additional GPS and IMU data from the ground station to determine a relative heading to orientate the antenna to point at the balloon payload. The heading and pitch are controlled with independent servos. These subsystems all jointly interact to keep the antenna pointed at the balloon to within a few degrees or the communication would be lost

Characterizing the Relative Contributions of Large Vessels to Total Ocean Noise Fields: A Case Study Using the Gerry E. Studds Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary

In 2006, we used the U.S. Coast Guard’s Automatic Identification System (AIS) to describe patterns of large commercial ship traffic within a U.S. National Marine Sanctuary located off the coast of Massachusetts. We found that 541 large commercial vessels transited the greater sanctuary 3413 times during the year. Cargo ships, tankers, and tug/tows constituted 78% of the vessels and 82% of the total transits. Cargo ships, tankers, and cruise ships predominantly used the designated Boston Traffic Separation Scheme, while tug/tow traffic was concentrated in the western and northern portions of the sanctuary. We combined AIS data with low-frequency acoustic data from an array of nine autonomous recording units analyzed for 2 months in 2006. Analysis of received sound levels (10–1000 Hz, root-mean-square pressure re 1 μPa ± SE) averaged 119.5 ± 0.3 dB at high-traffic locations. High-traffic locations experienced double the acoustic power of less trafficked locations for the majority of the time period analyzed. Average source level estimates (71–141 Hz, root-mean-square pressure re 1 μPa ± SE) for individual vessels ranged from 158 ± 2 dB (research vessel) to 186 ± 2 dB (oil tanker). Tankers were estimated to contribute 2 times more acoustic power to the region than cargo ships, and more than 100 times more than research vessels. Our results indicate that noise produced by large commercial vessels was at levels and within frequencies that warrant concern among managers regarding the ability of endangered whales to maintain acoustic contact within greater sanctuary waters