A tribute to animal astronauts

Rodent lab being sent to the ISS

http://www.nature.com/news/nasa-s-chief-scientist-on-mars-moons-and-money-1.14350

"Are we making the best case that the space station is a critical asset for this nation? Are we maximizing scientific research there to the best extent that we can? In spring we’ll be launching the first rodent laboratory up to the station, and there will be a lot of exciting stuff going on."

I think their project probably costs substantially more than mine though. Speaking of which one of you donated $20. Many thanks, that'll be put into the helium fund. I'll ultimately need nearly $500 for that but every little bit helps. 

Failure to launch.

Where I am, we're heading into a long unbroken several months of shitty overcast/rainy weather. Today was an unexpectedly clear, sunny day so rather than wait to add all the bells and whistles to Skyhab, I attempted an early launch.

That's as full as it ever got. I severely underestimated the amount of helium necessary. I will need around 5 tanks to fill it to the point where it will lift skyhab. The tanks are $45 each. I don't have that kind of money to spend on something like this, and there haven't been any donations in over a year. Consequently, project Space Hams is indefinitely postponed and most likely cancelled. 

Camera mounted. Solar panels next.

Got the little camera on there. It's on one end of a counter weighted balsa wood truss. This way I can get footage of the habitat at altitude from about two feet away. Another down-facing camera will also be added to give a sense of height.

Next up, solar panels. I'll be using those little solar LED lights you pound into the dirt along a walkway that charge from sunlight during the day then power a little LED at night. A few of these will give skyhab interior lighting at night time. That should make for some neat exterior shots.

More to come.

Indoor testing

Launch soon.

Skyhab's basic structure has been complete for some time now. Laptop died, PC died, so no internet access except on phone. Waiting for fall so it won't be too warm in there. I have the lightest video cam I could find, for recording the flight from onboard Skyhab. Will be positioned at the end of a balsawood rod maybe 2 feet away, looking into skyhab from outside. This will afford the best possible view.

Bought the fishing line, and mooring info

220 feet of it with a 30lb stress rating. Will be purchasing tiny metal mooring connectors tomorrow that will allow the habitat to rotate in the wind without twisting the line.

Also I came to a pretty obvious realization that unless it's a remarkably still day when I launch this balloon, it will never be directly overhead and the line will always be at an angle. So if I moor it the way I was planning to the entire habitat would be angled, creating an awkward situation for the occupants trying to navigate the interior.





The solution is to have the habitat hanging independently on its own line. Even if the balloon is directly overhead, provided a long enough line the habitat should hang more or less level. And assuming it is always at (at least a slight) angle from the weight holding the line down, this solution is much better and will keep the habitat level regardless of the balloon's movement.