Testing of Passepartout Key Experiments
15.-16. Sept. 2007
rechearchable battery pack with GPS/GSM
module; left: active GPS antennae;
upper left (hidden): APRS transmitter;
right: Garmin GPS 18
During the hot-air balloon Fly-In in Schielleiten bei Stubenberg (ST)...
...two key experiments of the balloon „Passepartout“ were tested on the 15th and 16th of September. The test took place in a real flight environment.Two hot air balloon flights took place with a balloon piloted by Rudi Albrecht. On Saturday the balloon took off at 6 p.m from Castle Schielleiten. On board was the tracking transmitter of the Track & Trace experiment as well as the 30cm on-board reflector which can be detected by the Austrian army using the surveillance system “Goldhaube”. Due to a lot of other balloons flying and many people watching the flight, drop-tests were not possible on Saturday. These will be done at a future time in Graz.
The Track & Trace experiment worked without any problems. The whole flight of the balloon (1 h and 5 min duration) could be tracked and the ground team was able to see the position on the graphical interface using an interactive map. During the whole time, the flight profile of the balloon could be recorded. The reflector experiment wasn’t so successful. The Austrian army was not able to detect it exactly. This may be because of the low height of maximum 1033m during the flight.
Due to this, another flight was performed the next day to test the reflector again. At 8 a.m the balloon started again from Castle Schielleiten. This time, the balloon reached a height of 1400m. A bad weather front coming in from the flight direction finally brought an end to the experiment. The balloon had to land again. However, also this time the Austrian army wasn’t able to locate the reflector exactly. The reasons for that could be the strong inversion from the weather conditions and also the reflector itself, which didn’t gain its optimum capacity. This error was repaired and another test of the reflector will take place together with the army.
While about 40 hot air balloons transformed the sky over Stubenberg into a colourful view, the equipment for detecting the dropped payload was tested. Daniela Scheer acted as the lost payload, but could be found after a short period by the team. However, a landing of the payload in the middle of a cornfield or a forest is not on the wish list of the team.
To summarize the events and results from this test weekend, the by Harald Fauland prepared tests of the radio unit, GPS and tracking transmission equipment were a complete success. Also the on-board video transmission with the help of the black widow from Gerhard Grömer worked without any problems up to a distance of 1000m.
Impressions
PolAres Schedule Update
Between 01 - 28. February 2013, the Austrian Space Forum will conduct an integrated Mars analog field simulation in the northern Sahara near Erfoud, Morocco. Directed by a Mission Support Center in Austria, a small field crew will conduct experiments preparing for future human Mars missions mainly in the fields of engineering, planetary surface operations, astrobiology, geophysics/geology, life sciences and other.
This field mission is supported by the Ibn-Battuta-Center at the University of Marrakesh, Morocco. The Austrian Space Forum now solicitates proposals to be reviewed by a selection panel. The deadline for submissions is 15. June 2012, the announcement of the successful experiments will be released on 15. July 2012.
Detail
The analysis of Mars analogue environments on Earth is of paramount importance for the interpretation of the data from past, present and future orbital and landed missions, as well as mission planning (both robotic and human). Sedimentary environments in particular attract strong interest because they can retain the palaeoclimatic and palaeoenvironmental history of the planet and under the right conditions may harbour fossil or present life signatures.
Date: 25. - 27. October 2012
Location: Conference Centre of the Hotel Meridien N'Fis at Marrakech, Morocco Organization: European Space Agency, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana, International Association of Sedimentologits, Ibn Battuta Centre, IRSPS, Universite Cadi Ayyad.
Between 01 - 28. February 2013, the Austrian Space Forum will conduct an integrated Mars analog field simulation in the northern Sahara near Erfoud, Morocco. Directed by a Mission Support Center in Austria, a small field crew will conduct experiments preparing for future human Mars missions mainly in the fields of engineering, planetary surface operations, astrobiology, geophysics/geology, life sciences and other.
