Since we had to postpone the launch because of weather and some issues getting materials, we thought we’d produce another video. We hope you enjoy. Look for updates on the project’s progress after our meeting this Sunday.
The launch of Project Airborne that was scheduled for October 31, 2009 has been postponed. This is due to some delays the team is experiencing with obtaining FAA permission and accessing materials and resources.
Stay tuned for updates on when the launch will be rescheduled for. The team is hoping to launch the project before Penn State’s Thanksgiving Break on November 23, 2009.
Armed with stronger styrofoam coolers, duct tape, newspaper and eggs, Project Airborne set out Sunday afternoon to emerge from the last round of crash testing victorious.
With the new supplies and a different packing strategy, the egg and cooler held up to 2 drops at 23 feet and 4 drops at 65 feet. Spotters were on hand to make sure no one would be hit by the rapidly dropping cooler from the testing sites at the IST Building and the West Campus Parking Deck.
In other Project Airborne news:
Please check out the gallery below for pictures of the final (and successful) round of crash testing.
We produced our first “teaser” video recently. Check it out below.
Project Airborne has gotten more officially official. We’ve got a logo made. Check it out:
This may not be our final logo, but we thought we’d share it. What do you think? Let us know with a comment!
Project Airborne met again today at the IST Building to perform crash testing on the package assembly. Using eggs, newspaper and a styrofoam cooler, project members aimed to prevent the eggs from cracking when the package hit the ground. The test was carried out at the IST Building’s external East Staircase. The location was chosen because of the lack of pedestrian traffic and the 20 foot drop.
After placing the egg directly on the bottom of the cooler, we packed the cooler with balled up newspaper. The lid was secured by lancing 4 pencils through the styrofoam.
Our goal of keeping the egg free from harm was achieved. However, the cooler did not fare so well. It cracked on the side and along the seam in the bottom.
The key takeaway from this test was that we needed to reinforce all sides of the cooler or buy a sturdier cooler. Additional crash testing will be done during this coming week with new materials.
Here are some pictures we snapped while performing crash testing:
On Sunday, October 4th, the first meeting of Project Airborne was held.
Project Airborne is an atmospheric photography project being carried out by a group of students from the Penn State Security and Risk Analysis Club. During our first meeting on Sunday, October 4th, we set forth certain goals for the entire project.
One of the main points of Project Icarus was that they were able to conduct the entire project for only $150. Though we too will be keeping a low budget, we also intend to add additional cameras as well as an HD video camera for the ascent.
