PSAS/ news/ 2010-10-17/ launch procedures

T- 1 Day

Launch Tower Setup Procedures

  1. Lay top tower and bottom tower end-to-end on ground, at 120 degrees off center such that antenna bar will point down during lifting
  2. Put top and bottom tower pieces together, aligning the A, B, C indicators, with 1/4-20 hex bolts/nuts
  3. Put base of tower on
  4. Mount rail alignment brackets
    1. Loose fit launch rail alignment brackets, look for markings on the brackets and on the tower
    2. Lay mount launch rail to pivot point, and lay down to align brackets, then tighten brackets in place
    3. Remove launch rail.
  5. Pre-string ropes from the top tower piece toward the bottom, including quick-links that will be used to tie to rail
  6. Set end of tower on ladder to raise top from ground
  7. Mount the antenna and antenna bar
  8. Attach and run the RF feedline to the antenna
  9. Screw sand screw into ground near base of tower and affix rope/chain to base of tower and sand screw such that when the tower is put up it won't slip out from underneath the lifters
  10. Pre-place sand screws at 120 degree intervals around tower, pre-attach guy wires to the tower and lay out on ground in approximate final locations
  11. Place 3 people on the guy wire ends to assist in stabilization of tower during lifting
  12. 3 strong people at tower base to push up tower
  13. Push up tower, rotating tower 120 degrees such that antenna bar is pointing downward. When the tower goes up, rotate until it's in desired alignment.
  14. Use high-torque to screw in sand screws in approximate locations, snug, but do not tighten
  15. Install launch rail with pulleys
  16. Draw up pulleys till rail is vertical
  17. Get Level, and tighten and level the launch rail with guy-wire turnbuckles and chain links as necessary
  18. Hang blast shield on tower behind where motor will start its burn
  19. Mount tower computer to back of launch tower, sitting on top of metal step affixed with 2 u-bolts.
  20. Proceed to Launch Tower Computer Setup.

Launch Tower Computer Setup Procedures

  1. Screw in antenna RF feedline to top of tower computer
  2. Open LTC door and pull out cables in order to sort them.
  3. Feed battery and PV (solar) cables out right hand external conduits.
  4. Feed igniter and safety interlock cables out left hand external conduits.
  5. Put magic blue foam of dust stoppiness into the external conduits.
  6. MAKE SURE RED SAFETY INTERLOCK SWITCH IS OFF ("0").
  7. Make sure black power switch is off ("0").
  8. Plug in shorting bar to jacks under LTC.
  9. Plug in power battery APP connector.
  10. Plug in igniter battery APP connector.
  11. Plug in PV APP connector.
  12. Plug in yellow safety interlock extension cord APP connector.
  13. Plug in igniter extension cord APP connector.
    • NOTE: BATTERIES SHOULD NOT BE LEFT OVERNIGHT IF THE TEMPERATURE IS EXPECTED TO FALL BELOW 35 degrees F.

Launch Control Setup Procedures (Firing Room)

  1. Point side of toy hauler directly towards launch tower.
  2. Fully extend toy hauler awning.
  3. Setup two white pop-up canopies next to awning.
  4. Zip tie awnings together, stake if necessary.
  5. Set up two folding tables with 2 folding chairs each.
  6. Set up antenna mast (plywood base + tripod + lower pole + upper pole + 2.4GHz BBQ dish + 2m Jpole).
  7. Set up launch control table (LCT).
    1. Plug two batteries into the LCT DC bus.
    2. Plug in battery charger using APP Y cable and power battery charger off toy hauler generator.
    3. Plug in true sine inverter, 2m radio, wireless router and all other LCT items.
    4. Plug LCT laptop that runs LaunchControl/RocketView into inverter.
    5. Plug in wireless router antenna to 2.4 GHz BBQ.
    6. Plug in 2m radio to Jpole antenna.
  8. Align 2.4 GHz BBQ antenna towards LT.
  9. Turn on LT (black switch) and attempt to ping LT.
  10. Make sure LCT is set up with binoculars, FRS radios, etc.

Overnight Procedures

  1. Charge DVR
  2. Charge Opal Data Logger
  3. Charge TeleMetrum
  4. Charge Roll Control

Pre-Launch Procedures

PV-700 Video Recorder (DVR)

  1. Erase pre-existing videos
    1. Power on DVR (slide switch to 'on' position)
    2. Select 'Video Files' from menu and press enter
    3. Select folder(s) and press Enter
    4. Select the given recording to be deleted
    5. Press the 'Set' button1. Screw in antenna RF feedline to top of tower computer
    6. 'Delete' menu item should be selected, press 'Enter' twice
    7. It will prompt to verify deletion, arrow over to 'Ok' and press enter
    8. Press 'stop' button twice to navigate back to the main menu
  2. Verify 'vibrate' switch is in the off position
  3. Verify 'Off/TV/LCD' is in the TV position, this will allow for checking video via pass-through connector.
  4. Verify SD card is in place
  5. Tape in SD card on DVR (DVR records 40min/GB)
  6. Connect AV Out pass-through connector to side of DVR.
  7. Make sure power switch is in the 'off' position (all the way right when the LCD panel is facing down)
  8. Insert DVR into bottom of camera module
  9. Connect 'DC 5V Out' plug, this will power the video camera??? (is this correct?)
  10. Connect 12VDC power to lead wires coming from camera module (to power the camera)

ARTS-2

  1. Program the ARTS-2
    1. Connect 9v power, and RS-232 serial cable
    2. Start up Data Analyzer application from Ozark Aerospace
    3. Specify com port if necessary
  2. Verify correct operation of ARTS-2
    1. Goto altimeter -> diagnostics
    2. Press chirp to test tone generation
    3. With pyros disconnected, click boomer/sw, both pyros should show bad. Switch 2 should show 'off', and switch 1 show 'on'
    4. Connect the resistor/led combo to each pyro channel, click boomer/sw to verify that the respective channel shows OK. Also test-fire each pyro with the respective LED to make sure it lights the LED.
  3. Setup profiles
    1. We will be using flight profile 1 (one). Make sure respective dip switch on (dip switch 1 should be 'On')
    2. Goto the Altimeter -> Configuration
    3. Verify Profile 1 is configured to deploy drogue at apogee, and main at 1000ft, with a 50hz sample rate. You can 'Load from Alt', and verify these numbers, and 'Save to Alt'. When saving to alt for profile 1, you'll hear 1 beep.
    4. Verify Profile 2 is configured do deploy channel 1 at apogee, channel 2 at 1000ft, and a 50 hz rate... Just to be safe, save this to the altimeter. When saving to alt for profile 2, you'll hear 2 beeps.

General Pre-Launch Procedures

  1. Telemetry has to check TeleMetrum
  2. Configure Opal Data logger to be in logging mode
  3. Assemble Rocket
    1. Coupler in bottom of recover module, index if necessary
    2. Couplers in top and bottom of roll control module, index if necessary
    3. Wire Pyros
    4. Ohmmeter matches backup ok, approx 1.2 ohms to 1.8 ohms, typically 1.5 ohms
    5. Slide up aeroshell over payload module from bottom
    6. Wire roll control to avionics frame
    7. Slide avionics frame into avionics module, screw in and affix to bottom of roll control module
    8. Plug in power for roll control to switch on bottom of payload module
    9. Screw in top of roll control to bottom of payload module
    10. Screw in motor bulkhead to bottom of avionics module

On Tower Procedures

  1. Turn screw on camera module to extend camera outside the aeroshell. Go approximately until the black line is flush with the aeroshell. Do not over torque this.
  2. Verify that LaunchControl can control LTC and LTC is working.
    1. Verify Igniters NOT in.
    2. Attach 12v lightbulb to ignition leads.
    3. Move shorting plug from LTC base to away box.
    4. Turn red arming switch to on.
    5. Launch Control run through full sequence (light goes on for ignition).
    6. Turn red arming switch to off.
    7. Move shorting plug from away box to LTC base.
  3. Turn on camera (SW 3).
  4. Turn on DVR slide switch (two clicks left) good is (red -> green -> blue).
  5. Plug in monitor to the av-out pass-through and verify that the DVR is receiving video and recording.
  6. Roll Control.
    1. Connect tether connector wire to roll control.
    2. Power on (SW 5).
    3. 10 second calibration to elapse, fins are twitching
    4. Fins should go to neutral at completion of calibration sequence
    5. Remove tether
    6. Wait 4 seconds, fins should sling to one side, 4 seconds later, to the other side and so on
    7. Plug tether back in
    8. Should run calibration sequence again
  7. Turn on TeleMetrum (SW 4)
    1. Listen for beeps. 3 beeps good, low tone bad, 10 seconds Morse P ( .--. ).
    2. Radio down to launch control to verify telemetry is streaming.
    3. Radio down to launch control to verify configuration coming from TeleMetrum is as expected.
  8. Turn on ARTs (SW 2), verify good beep code (3 beeps).
  9. Flight Director: Broadcast that Rocket is powered up and ready for flight.

Final Pre-Launch Procedures (LTO)

  1. Lay out Ignition Extension Cable with 3 boxes.
    • Motor Box ~7ft away from nozzle.
    • Away Box as far as possible, but try to keep orange cord from being run over.
  2. Communicate with Launch Control for go-ahead to hook up igniter
  3. Clear all personnel other than L3
  4. Check Manual Arm switch on LTC is "off"
  5. Verify Banana shorting Jumper is well placed in LTC shorting block
  6. Verify Motor Box indicator is dark
  7. Verify alligator clips are connected to the motor box
  8. Insert motor igniter into motor
  9. Communicate with Launch Control that igniter is in.
  10. Connect the alligator clips to Igniter
  11. Switch Manual Arm Switch to ON
  12. Communicate with Launch Control that Arm Switch is on
  13. Remove Banana shorting jumper
  14. Move Away from the box
  15. Final check that area is clear of other personnel
  16. Verify that red LED in away box is OFF.
  17. Insert shorting jumper into the Away box
  18. Communicate with Launch Control that arming is complete
  19. Leave the Launch area (run away).

Launch Procedures

Go Conditions:

FIDO

Guidance

Telemetry

LTO

Recovery

RSO

Launch Procedures (Flight Director)

  1. Do a final Go/No-Go Poll
    1. FIDO
    2. Guidance
    3. Telemetry
    4. LTO
    5. Recovery
    6. RSO
  2. Broadcast on all radios that we are go for launch
  3. Verify range clear
  4. Broadcast on all radios "Auto Sequence Start, T-30 seconds"
  5. Begin launch sequence on LaunchControl
  6. Broadcast countdown on all radios

Recovery Procedures

  1. Verify safety of any remaining charges in rocket, be aware of and follow safe procedures
  2. Power down ARTs flight computer (SW 2)
  3. Power down TeleMetrum Flight computer (SW 4) ?????????????????
  4. Power down roll control (SW 5)
  5. Power down DVR, slide switch 2 clicks to the right
  6. Turn screw on camera module to retract camera into aeroshell. Do not force or over torque this.

Post-Recovery Procedures

  1. Remove aeroshells
  2. Remove the SD card from the side of the DVR
  3. Insert SD card into card reader on PC and copy video files to computer hard drive (make 2 copies if possible). Note: We're using an 8gig SD card, and some card readers don't like cards that size. If it plays back on the DVR, but not the PC, your card reader may not support the larger card reader sizes
  4. Connect ARTS-2 Flight computer to serial port on host computer
  5. Start Data Analyzer application
  6. Goto altimeter -> download flight data
  7. It will download
  8. Goto flight -> save as, save to a file.
  9. Goto flight -> export as->Interpreted Data, save to respective file.
  10. Goto flight -> export as->Raw Data, save to respective file.
  11. Download Opal data.
  12. Download TeleMetrum data.
  13. Download Roll CAN log data.

Reference

Launch Control

Inventory

Primary Tools & Supplies

Backup Tools & Supplies

Launch Tower Parts

Electrical Stuff

Radio Gear

Cables

General Stuff