Current Launch Check List

Station Name	Description	Who
ATV	Monitors ATV system and other video cameras. In charge of recording, recording GPS lat/lon, visually monitoring flight	Glenn
LCO	Launch Control Officer: 2m comm to recovery teams and head honcho	Brian
launchcontrol	in charge of running launchcontrol	Peter
rocketview	In charge of monitoring rocketview for rocket status	Jamey
safety	Safety officer	Bart
trackmaster	Aims the "TrackMaster 2000" at the rocket	?
uplink	Sends DTMF commands via the 2m uplink system	Andrew

Pre-expidition Avionics Prep

Make sure the battery to APS sensor cable is glued down 24 hours before launch prep.
Verify that the MCX connector from the GPS to the GPS pre-amp is attached.
Re-check all avionics systems connections: tighten SMAs, check strain relief, etc.
Kapton tape off the recovery node shorting connector to keep guk out.
Insert Avionics System into Avionics Module:
- Screw in umbilical connector into avionics module.
- Push the camera back behind the avionics module via screw.
- Plug in umbilical cord connector into APS.
- Plug in battery pack into APS.
- Carefully insert avionics system from bottom of avionics module.
- Bolt avionics system to avionics module (4x #8-32 countersunk screws and nylock nuts).
- Attach all three antennas and tighten the SMA connectors.
- Re-verify that the antennas are going to the right connector.
Recovery Node in payload module
- Attach 2m "recovery module long wire" antenna to the recovery node.
- Sanity check cross-board and shorting screw connections

Setup

Expand these!!

Setup LT and LTC
Setup PSAS field server
Verify communication between LTC and PSAS field server
Verify simulated apogee time based on current weight and motor

Check backup power

Verify that all backup power is operational by disconnecting generator.
Reconnect generator.
Check and top off generator.

Paperwork

If launching at a hosted event, file a flight card.

Pre-Launch Avionics Prep

Focus ATV Camera

Focus ATV camera by using CANtalope to fire up the ATV system: make sure rocket is on shore power, and turn off system using an DTMF emergency power down.

Recovery and Payload Modules

Pack chutes and line cutters into recovery module with ejection charge hanging out.
Attach recovery, payload and avionics modules (24x #8-32 countersunk screws).
Plug recovery node into CAN bus.
Screw in CAN bus connector.
Verify that recovery node is off (no LEDs on).
Remove tape.
Put in shorting screw.
Short across the euroterminal blocks with tweezers.
Cut, strip and install igniter wires into euroterminal blocks on recovery node.
- Primary ejection charge igniter leads go to euroterminal group 1.
- Backup ejection charge igniter leads go to euroterminal group 2.
- Primary line cutter igniter leads go to euroterminal group 3.
- Backup line cutter igniter leads go to euroterminal group 4.
Verify igniter wires physical (tugging) and electrically (ohm meter).

Put on Aeroshell

Push the camera back behind the module via screw.
Take out shorting screw.
Put on aeroshell.
Put in shorting screw.
Secure aeroshell (16x #8-32 button allen head screws).
Pull camera out to stop via screw.
Install camera shroud (4x #4-40 pan head screws).
Install both launch lugs.

Check Avionics System

Obtain and record the local barometric pressure and temperature from airport.
Obtain and record the base altitude (GPS), latitude and longitude, and temperature (thermometer) at tower.
Turn on FC using manual shore power smoke signals
ssh into FC.
Remount / read-write
Edit /root/setbase.sh to set BASE_ALTITUDE, BASE_PRESSURE, and BASE_TEMPERATURE, GPS_BASE, and ATV callsign.
Run /etc/init.d/pre-flight-boot start (will remount root read-only)
Lift the rocket to a vertical position.
Bring the FC up to preflight check and verify that the only thing not green is SANE_GPS.
- Verify that the recovery node light pipe is on (that the shorting screw is working).
- Make sure rocket is vertical (for IMU sanity check).
- Check ATV camera focus and the camera shroud alignment.
abort back to idle (can confirm by ATV being off)
killall run_threads
Run prepare_for_flight which:
- Deletes ALL files in /var/log/psas and /var/log/ksymoops
- Remounts / to be read-write.
- Copies flight_init_script to init.d
- Remounts / to be read-only.
Check disk space on /var
halt flight computer via ssh
Turn off the avionics system by using DTMF emergency power down command.
Verify that recovery node is off.

Attach Nose Cone and Motor

Tie nosecone to rocket with rope.
Install ejection charge into nosecone.
Put on nosecone. DANGER: KEEP PEOPLE FROM WALKING IN FRONT OF NOSE CONE.
Fasten nosecone with plastic rods.
Add safety tape.
Attach motor canister (8x #8-32 countersunk screws).
Install motor into motor canister (4x #8-32 nylock nuts and long screws, ring plate).

Weigh the Rocket

WEIGH THE DAMN ROCKET. WE'RE NOT KIDDING. WEIGH IT. REALLY.
Find center of mass.
Optional: Find the moment of inertia

Load LV2 onto Launch Tower

Delete logs from the field server.
On first launch attempt, do the following:
- Crank rail down.
- Prep the igniter.
- Slide rocket onto rail.
- Insert motor igniter in the rocket (don't hook it up).
- Crank rail up.
- Remove safety tape.
- REMOVE SHORTING SCREW!
- Insert umbilical connector to the rocket (shore power should be off).
- Verify that the rope that holds the umbilical connector to the launch tower is correctly attached.
Turn on the Avionics System
- Use launchcontrol to boot FC via shore power (boots with wifi poweramp on).
- Verify that FC is up via rocketview.
- Check for recovery node charging messages: fast charge, trickle charge.
- Turn on ATV receiver, ATV-VGA converter, monitor, and digital camcorder (VCR mode, not Camera).
- Press Preflight check in launchcontrol.
- Verify ATV image on camcorder and monitor.
Setup launch tower video cameras and hit "record".
On first launch attempt, do the following:
- CLEAR THE LAUNCH TOWER OF UNNECESSARY PERSONNEL
- Verify that the red igniter switch is off.
- Verify that the shorting jack is inserted.
- Attach alligator clips from launch tower to igniter.
- Turn on red igniter switch.
- Remove shorting jack.
- EVERYONE LEAVE! LAST PERSON LEAVING LAUNCH TOWER INSERTS SHORTING JACK INTO PLASTIC BOX

Pre-Flight

Trackmaster

Get a volunteer for the trackmaster and prepare them. It doesn't hurt to have a backup.

Recovery Teams

Get recovery teams into place:
- Two to four teams coordinated by a recovery team lead and launch control
- Recovery teams report their GPS locations.
- Each needs a 2m HT, a GPS, a topological map and a compass; also water, a shovel, and possibly additional fire suppression equipment.
- Consider setting up a stationary hilltop lookout to aid in coordination if the terrain makes it feasible.
Get launch control team into their places.

Launch

ATV: Verify ATV signal. Verify record. Verify other cameras in place (including ground recording of flight!)
On LCO command: Launchcontrol arms rocket
On LCO command: Uplink arms recovery mode via 2m
LCO:
- go/no go with ATV
- go/no go with rocketview
- go/no go with uplink
- go/no go with safety
- go/no go with trackmaster
- go/no go with launchcontrol
on LCO command: launchcontrol presses Countdown button which gives T - 30 seconds until launch.
All stations monitor for reasons to abort during countdown: "abort!" from any station causes launchcontrol to abort launch.
On emergency abort, jump to "Abort Before Liftoff"
On unexpected abort, jump to "Unexpected Launch Abort"

Liftoff

ATV calls off "ATV liftoff".
rocketview calls off "launch detect" on transition to Boost state.
LCO starts stopwatch on visual liftoff, or ATV/rocketview liftoff announcement.

Flight

Trackmaster tracks rocket.
ATV monitors ATV picture for apogee: on apogee, says "ATV apogee". Announces ejection charge timers.
rocketview monitors rocketview and on state transition announces the state transition (boost, Apogee Detect, etc)
- This is critical: if the FC doesn't detect the right state, we need to know it ASAP, so rocketview needs to announce what's going on all the time.
LCO calls off time.
Uplink is ready to fire pyros via DTMF.
LCO commands uplink to fire ejection charge via DTMF if ATV detects apogee AND (FC is down or recovery timers seem not to be working).
LCO commands uplink to fire line cutters via DTMF if ATV and/or visual announces the rocket is near the ground.

Recovery

Recovery teams give a bearing of where they saw the rocket land.
rocketview and/or ATV reads last known GPS coordinates to recovery teams.
recovery teams enter GPS coordinates into GPS' and do a "to waypoint" map to hunt rocket.
Other recovery methods:
- Review ATV to try and figure out where it landed.
- Review velocity of GPS coordinates to try and get some idea of where it was going.
- Use trackmaster as a crude direction finder.
At the recovered rocket:
- Verify that the ejection charge has been fired.
- Recovery team safes the recovery node using DTMF.
- Make the rocket vertical; launch control attempts to safe rocket (see below).
- Else, recovery team uses emergency power down DTMF command.
- To safe the rocket:
- ssh into FC.
- Run safe_rocket.
- Use DTMF emergency power down command to shut off rocket.
- Try and find the nosecone; should be close and probably down wind.

Abort Before Liftoff

Hit Abort in launchcontrol. Causes FC transition to other states depending on the state:
- Preflightcheck, ready and arming -> initialize (idle).
- rocketready -> launchabort which waits for 5 minutes then goes to initialize (idle).
Safe the recovery node: Abort will do this automatically, otherwise use DTMF.
ssh into the FC.
run safe_rocket.
Use DTMF emergency power down (shuts off rocket systems INCLUDING recovery node).

Unexpected Launch Abort

ssn to rocket
killall run_threads
safe_rocket
prepare_for_flight
check disk usage
halt
power off rocket using DTMF
Go to "Launch Tower Prep" again.

Emergency Powerdown

Instantly poweroff the whole rocket and recovery node using a DTMF command. Note that on power up, the FC will still be in flight mode!