Yesterday was a big day, folks!  After spending about a dozen hours writing some code I felt comfortable enough with my Android application to do a test launch of Astdroid.  So, along with my lovely assistant (my wife twitter.com/ErinPier) and my dogs, I packed up the 167 lbs. tank of helium and headed to a local park to do some testing.

This was the first time I’d filled one of the weather balloons I’d received a couple weeks ago and wow, do those things hold alot of helium.  It took about 10 minutes to fill the balloon up enough to produce lift with the phone and payload (a piece of styrofoam with a hole cut out that the phone fits into) attached.  The balloon and payload were subsequently attached to a 500 ft. spool of mason line (string) so that I could test out the application and the balloon lift while still keeping things in reachable and recoverable distance.  With the balloon filled and the Android App running, Astdroid was ready to take its first flight.

The first Astdroid launch photo

Things were progressing smoothly and I was just about ready to let the line out when I heard “Danny!” followed by a BAM!  I looked over just in time to see the styrofoam sled carrying my phone bounce off the pavement and then looked upward to see the balloon float away.  Remember how I asked for a resource of where to learn better knots to tie in my last post?  Well, my deficiency in knot expertise got me again.  The payload had become detached from the balloon and fell to the ground while the balloon set off on its independent tour of the stratosphere.

Luckily, the styrofoam did it’s job and protected the phone 100%.  And even luckier, I planned for failure had another balloon along with me.  At that point, I decided that I couldn’t let my knot tying ignorance persist any longer and spent an hour and half tying knots with the help of this page later that night.

With the second balloon filled I was ready to give things another go.  The balloon began to drift up and got about 100 feet overhead before the weight of the string leveled things out.  Since it looked like we’d need more helium to get any higher, I began to reel in the line in hopes to give it another go with some more juice.  With the balloon safely back on the ground, I considered the first (test) flight of the Astdroid project complete!

First successful return!

With another minute or two of helium added to the balloon it was time to see just how far this thing could go while remaining safely retrievable.  It took off at an amazingly fast rate and was quickly 300 feet over head.  As the wind began to push it away rather than letting it drift upward I decided it was again time to reel things in.  After a couple minutes, the balloon was safely back on the ground, the I clicked “Stop” on the Astdroid application, and we headed home to look at the results.

The launches are only one part of this project.  The data and photos/video are the other… and that’s where things get cool.  The two launches produced two KML files (Google Earth formatted GPS tracks).  I’m still a little bit amazed at exactly how cool they look!

1st flight on the right (smaller bumps), 2nd on the left

If you’re interested in taking a look at the data in Google Earth yourself, here are launches I and II.

Along with the really cool data, I captured video of the two flights.  Be warned, they’re enough to make you a bit dizzy.

As you may have seen, I tweeted out a URL for others to track the flight of Astdroid.  It’s the only part of the project that didn’t go off without a hitch.  While live tracking IS working, it seems that I set the timeout for a data connection to be too short, meaning that since it couldn’t post an update within the 30 second window I asked for it simply didn’t happen.  Simple bug, should be an easy fix… and once it is, I’ll continue to invite everyone to follow along online!

Where does the project stand?

Very confident!  Even with the loss of a balloon due to faulty knots, we accomplished alot!  The Astdroid App recorded data, took video, and the craft successfully flew and return to earth!  Not a bad day!

What are the next immediate steps to be accomplished?

  • Features need to be added and bug fixes need to be made to the App
  • A better payload craft needs to be designed with plexiglass portholes, insulation, and STRONGER KNOTS!
  • Need to affix a recovery parachute and radar beacon
  • Need to purchase an external power pack to support unexpectedly long flight

Question: Craft design?

Does anyone have any particular ideas for how the payload should be designed.  From most of the similar project I’ve seen, it’s traditionally a styrofoam cooler, but I’m up for other suggestions.  What about padding? Rope?  Anything to keep it warm since the air is going to get down to -70 degrees Fahrenheit?  Something better than acrylic for “windows”?  As always, let me know your thought either via the comments or discussion group.

It’s been a great week!  This is getting exciting!