[amsat-bb] Balloon Launch, Huntsville, AL

[Gene Marcus <mmarcus@xxxxxxxxxx>]

This balloon launch is a night flight to collect Perseids meteor
shower data. A special low light level video camera will be flown.
Please contact Ed Myszka, KE4ROC, <Ed.Myszka@msfc.nasa.gov> for
additional information.

Gene Marcus W3PM GM4YRE
Huntsville, AL
mmarcus@hiwaay.net

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                  Balloon Launch

Date:           Friday, August 13, 1999

Time:           02:00 CST, 07:00 UT

From:           The Atmospheric Research Facility (ARF) on the
                Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) Campus
                Huntsville, Alabama
                34 38.769" North
                86 40.766" West
                657' MSL altitude

Maximum
Altitude:       Approximately 105,000 feet

Projected
Landing:        Approximately 22 miles south (197 true bearing) of 
                the launch site
                34  20.400" North
                86  47.736" West

Profile:        Climb to Max Altitude: 105 minutes 
                Descent:  23 minutes

Amateur
Call Sign:      The ATV downlink will be identified by a video overlay 
                with the call sign KE4ROC.  Packet transmissions will 
                be identified by the call sign KE4ROC-11

ATV:            426.25 mHz transmit frequency (Cable Ready 
                TV Channel 58)
                "Little Wheel" Horizontally Polarized Antenna
                The video overlay will contain longitude, latitude, 
                altitude (meters), GPS time, heading, speed, and 
                amateur call sign.
                Audio downlink will have microphone external to 
                balloon package

Telemetry:      1200 baud, AX.25 packet data on 144.39 mHz FM 
                Short (approximately 6") "Rubber-ducky" vertical 
                antenna
                

Telemetry:      GPS location data will be transmitted every 60 seconds.  
                A thiry four (34) byte telemetry packet conforming to 
                the APRS Telemetry System standard is transmitted 
                every 69 seconds.  There are five (5)Analog-to-digital 
                converters (ADC), and eight (8) digital "bit-switches".  
                The digital switches are simply on/off(1 is OFF, 0 is
                ON), while the actual data from the ADC's may be 
                calculated by the equation(s):  A*X^2 + B*X + C.  The 
                actual coefficients A, B, and C for each ADC channel 
                are listed below. The telemetry parameters being 
                downlinked are:

                   ADC #1: Package Pattery Voltage
                   ADC #2: Package Processor Board Temperature
                   ADC #3: Atmospheric Air Pressure
                   ADC #4: Outside Air Temperature (1)
                   ADC #5: Outside Air Temperature (2)
                   ADC #1: A=0, B=0.0588, C=0 (Units: VOLTS, DC)
                   ADC #2: A=0, B=1.96, C=-272.6 (Units: degrees "C")
                   ADC #3: A=0, B=0.0735, C=-1.548 (Units: PSI)
                   ADC #4: A=0, B=1.96, C=-274.56 (Units: degrees "C")
                   ADC #5: A=0, B=1.96, C=-272.6 (Units: degrees "C")
                   Digital #1: Cut-Down Power
                   Digital #2: Test Light
                   Digital #3: Video Overlay Board Power
                   Digital #4: Astrovid Camera Power
                   Digital #5: N/A
                   Digital #6: N/A
                   Digital #7: N/A
                   Digital #8: N/A
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