SSI-23

SSI-23 (Gemini)
Launch date	October 24th, 2015, 11:39AM PDT
Launch site	2093 San Juan Drive, Hollister, CA
Launch coordinates	36.84842,-121.43236
Flight duration	3 hours, 20 minutes
Landing coordinates	37.08607,-119.71602
←SSI-23a SSI Balloon Launches SSI-24→

SSI-23 Gemini was the 23rd launch of SSI Balloons and the first launch for the inexperienced all-freshman team. It was a complete success, querying kinetic and atmospheric data, logging data, powering heaters, never using them because of internal insulation, generating current with a solar panel, capturing beautiful shots with a camera, orienting the GPS upward with a gimbal, and dropping a paper plane at a specific altitude. It flew 155.10 kilometers over a course of 3 hours and 20 minutes, landing in a University of California research facility.

Pre-Launch

The team

SSI-23 was part of a combined 3 balloon launch with SSI-24 and SSI-25 designed to acquaint the new members of SSI with the process of designing a payload and launching a balloon. The teams started with a single week to construct the payload, but were given a two week extension after some unfortunate circumstances.

Payload Specifications

The Arduino electronics

The Arduino based payload measured time, acceleration, magnetic fields, orientation, temperature, pressure, light intensity, solar panel current, and solar panel voltage. It was capable of self regulating its temperature with heaters, orienting its SPOT GPS upright with a custom gimbal, and dropping a payload at a specified altitude with a stepper motor.

Launch site

The launch site

SSI-23 was launched from a park near 2093 San Juan Drive, Hollister, CA at 11:39AM. The conditions were not too sunny or windy, providing a great start as the balloons were picked up by the easterly drafts.

The Flight

33Km view

Ground track

The retrieved payload

SSI-23 was outfitted with a balloon with about .5 net Kg of lift. Once the rope was cut, the balloon accelerated upwards, and immediately began to spin on its horizontal axis, an unforeseen consequence of the selfie stick. Despite this, the payload never fell apart, and it successfully flew 155.10 kilometers East at 79°. It ended up in the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources experimental range, which was interesting given our choice of decorations.

Debriefing

Pressure as a function of time

Temperature as a function of time

SSI-23 was a success and fulfilled all of the initial goals set out by the team.

• Successful data collection and logging
• Successful implementation of a deployment mechanism for dropping an object at a specified altitude
• Successful implementation of insulation to maintain a temperature of above +3C and have all electronics still functioning on landing.
• Successful implementation of a gimbal for the SPOT GPS
• Successful landing

Gallery

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  33Km view
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  The team
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  Ground track
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  The Arduino electronics
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  The finished payload
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  The launch site
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  The decorations
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  SSI-24 or SSI-25
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  Popped balloon
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  Parachute deployment
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  The unfortunate landing area
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  The landing
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  The retrieved payload
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  Pressure as a function of time
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  Temperature as a function of time
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  Sub-payload deployment mechanism