Austin Physics for Fun

This event is managed by Nature Nerds Austin -- https://www.meetup.com/nature-nerds-of-austin/

This is the monthly design status and update meeting. Participation is both in person and online.

The meeting will be held at a private makerspace, Diogenes. It is located in the same building as the adult club Colette Austin. The door is at the left end of the building, Suite C. Go to the back of the first floor workspace and head upstairs.

If you have questions please feel free to submit them in the comments below or send them to me directly.

Zoom meeting details will be posted about a half hour before the meeting begins.

HABEX - High Altitude Balloon Experiments

The reference to experiments is two-fold. The first is in regard to the actual balloon construction and flight processes. The second is a reference to the payload and what it does during the flight (e.g. images, environmental measurements, etc.). To be clear, there will be two design processes going on in parallel, the balloon proper and the payload. This initial flight is really focusing on the balloon to get that process pinned down and clearly defined. The initial payload should be simple (e.g. digital camera taking pictures).

One of the primary design considerations will be the use of CanSat techniques in the design and construction process. We may need to build a technology demonstrator for this (i.e. dummy payload) before the actual flight process.

CanSat -- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CanSat

Design Process:

Design/Buy > Assemble > Test > Loop (Will it fly?) > Flight Plan

Meeting Sequence:

Pilot - Initial meeting (possibly two) to gauge interest and get first round of participants.

Design - Group responsible for the first four stages of the Design Process. - Multiple meetings.

Pre-Flight - Review process to date and verify readiness - Set the date of launch - Possibly two meetings

Launch - Two teams (Launch and Recovery)

Clean up - Launch team cleans up launch site and transitions to tracking and telemetry

Recovery - Recovery team (possibly several groups) chases the balloon and tries to stay ahead of it.

Post-Flight - Review, analysis, and release of flight report (including experimental results if any).

Flight Plan:

• Pre-Flight
• Schedule
• Assembly
• Launch
• Tracking
• Recovery
• Review/Release Results

Constraints:

• COVID 19
• Budget
• Resources/Tools/Facilities
• Legal (e.g. FAA rules about weight and number of modules)
• People
• Transportation

This is an informal gathering for anyone who enjoys talking about physics, whether you're a student, a hobbyist, a professional, or simply curious.

Even though the event is titled "Café", there are no snacks/drinks provided (for now). Feel free to bring a drink with you on your way to the library.

There is no scheduled presentation or fixed discussion topic. Conversations can naturally wander from quantum mechanics and cosmology to mathematics, engineering, programming, philosophy of science—or even completely unrelated topics. The goal is to enjoy good conversation with interesting people.

Rather than one large group discussion, we encourage people to form smaller groups based on shared interests. Don't hesitate to introduce yourself, join an existing conversation, or start a new one. If a discussion runs its course, feel free to mingle and meet someone new.

Whether you come to learn something, share something, make new friends, or simply enjoy an afternoon of stimulating conversation, you're welcome here. Every new perspective makes the conversation richer—the more, the merrier!

Remember to follow these simple guidelines during the meetup:
* Be courteous to your conversation partners.
* Don't monopolize the conversation. Give everyone a chance to speak.
* Feel free to join or leave conversations as interests evolve.