Abstract
One of the most significant limitations of weather balloon-based data collection is that instruments and payloads cannot depend on particular orientations or predictable rotation. Several investigators have used payload heading control devices to overcome this limitation in order to collect directional data and record motion controlled video footage. The work described in this presentation builds on the Controlled Heading Automation Device (CHAD) developed by Kruger et al. (2016) and was carried out at DePaul University in summer 2017 as an undergraduate research project. Our goal was to record stable video of the shadow of the moon on Earth’s surface during the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse. In order to improve reliability and performance we modified the hardware design of Kruger et al. in several ways. We successfully employed the CHAD during totality and were able to identify opportunities for modifications of hardware and software in order to further improve performance of the device.
Controlled Heading Automation Device
One of the most significant limitations of weather balloon-based data collection is that instruments and payloads cannot depend on particular orientations or predictable rotation. Several investigators have used payload heading control devices to overcome this limitation in order to collect directional data and record motion controlled video footage. The work described in this presentation builds on the Controlled Heading Automation Device (CHAD) developed by Kruger et al. (2016) and was carried out at DePaul University in summer 2017 as an undergraduate research project. Our goal was to record stable video of the shadow of the moon on Earth’s surface during the August 21, 2017 solar eclipse. In order to improve reliability and performance we modified the hardware design of Kruger et al. in several ways. We successfully employed the CHAD during totality and were able to identify opportunities for modifications of hardware and software in order to further improve performance of the device.