KatoLaunchSquad

Today we met together virtually with students from both schools.  Our Mentor Mike joined us to provide some useful suggestions! The team finalized our presentation that will share with NASA tomorrow evening. This is to provide NASA with our plan for outreach and a look at what we have created so far. The team logo is finished--way to go Emily!

We met Sunday to work for several hours. The challenge is to use the materials supplied by NASA to make up 80% of our device... The build team is refining the design to use NASA supplied materials. A basic framework has successfully been created today. The initial trigger mechanism has been designed and installed on SLED. We found a motor to use to drive the trigger successfully. ON Monday, the 29th, the t rigger mechanism successfully tested for the first time! That was exciting!

We've created a successful trigger control system.  We use an Arduino Leonardo as the microprocessor and use it to drive a Vernier Digital Conrol Unit. The concept is that the code will monitor acceleration via an accelerometer mounted on our device.  When the acceleration exceeds a threshold that the team selects, it will wait for a defined period and then turn on the motor.  The motor will pull a string to release the trigger.

The team finished the unistrut attachment for the SLED. Ben, Matt, and Edward have started assembling the frame of the SLED. Morgan and Laura worked on Blogging. Zach, Sam, and Hunter worked on coding to figure out when and how the SLED would launch. Initial coding!  How can we use the Arduino commands to launch this puck at the right time?? Here Morgan and Zachary try to sort out the coding.

Today we had a chance to connect with a new member of our team. Mike Ferullo is a robotics engineer at NASA. We had a video chat together with Mike and took some time for the team to get acquainted. What a neat job he has - managing and operating the Canada Robot Arm and the Dextre Robot on the International Space Station. He described how his team manipulates Dextre to 'walk' around the outside of the ISS and manipulate equipment in space. The robot can reach out with its 'arms' and reattach to many places along ISS - to allow it to crawl anywhere it is needed on the outside. Ben and Matt worked on the attachment to the unistrut and frame assembly. Zach and Morgan continued the coding process. All group members (except for Sam and Emily S.) met the NASA MgUE mentor.

We've started to meet each Monday to work together. Sometimes we all come to West High School, other times we meet via video conference between West and East. Today's work: Ben, Edward, and Matt began the drafting process for the blueprints of the SLED. The main focus was on brainstorming the following: Trigger mechanisms Frame of the SLED Ideas for the team logo have been sketched out by Emily S. on grid paper. The following concepts have been drafted: The satellite hovercraft Kato Launch Squad Movement Acquired targets Sam and Zach began the coding process for the autonomous release of the SLED. We have ordered an Arduino Leonardo to be the microprocessor to make our automation happen!