PSAS/ news/ 1999-06-16 - General Meeting in PCAT 103

Tuesday's meeting was focused primarily on the requirements for getting the LV-1 rocket and payload ready for a September 18-19th launch in Nevada. The list of modifications to the original vehicle was solidified but the nuts and bolts of layout, and timelines, was not pinned down do to some team members being absent from the meeting. A meeting next week is scheduled to finalize those issues so work can go forward.
The second (and possibly third) launch of LV-1 will be used as a test bed for systems that we plan on designing into the LV-2 launch vehicle and avionics package.
Also during the meeting Paul brought the group up to date on the research he has been doing on the feasibility of actively controlling future versions of LV-2. This included research into methods of attitude determination, and some insight into the tricky problems of active control in inherently unstable bodies. He also passed on some good resources for technical papers form NASA and some good software sources.
On a background/parallel track, many of the design specifications have now been set for LV-2. Flight computer design is going forward as is airframe design and internal systems layout. The next full group meeting will be in two weeks.

Present: Paul, Bart, Todd, Brian, Michael, Tim, Jim, Roger, Andrew

Meeting Topics :

A September 18 and 19th launch date agreed upon for the next launch of LV-1 (in modified form).
Location : Black Rock Desert, Nevada
T-95 days !!!!!

1) LV1b modifications

* Launch tower
Weather station (needs barometer)
Rolleron spin-up system
* High bandwidth modem - 56K
* ATV (Miniaturize if feasible)
* DME (Digital Measurement Equipment - RF transponder for finding position in flight. )
* Rollerons - simple gyroscopic roll stabilization.
* New flight computer and IMU
New igniter circuitry
17C756 FC
Rev. 1 IMU
Better filtering
Better analog board


- Replace camera with something small & swap out old large camera board and replace with 56k modem
- Put DME in Main body.? Carbon fiber? Nose cone? What about the 2m then?
- Motors (Continue development of 7000Ns solids)
- Igniters: Paul will quantify the Pyrogen?? system
- Specifications for data transmit and display (so display people can start)

2) Controlling LV2

Discussed :