Entry Date: 7/14/09
Internship Day Eleven (4 hours)
Almost. It’s the word that best describes the efforts to set up the mobile satellite communication station during day eleven of our internship experience. We almost did a lot of things today, however in the end things just didn’t seem to work our way.
We began things a little differently than normal. First of all we met on a Tuesday rather than our normal Monday, Wednesday, or Friday schedule. The reason behind the move was the research we had done the previous session using STK and Nova. We found more satellite passovers on Tuesday afternoon rather than Monday. Jeremy began the session with a brief overview of what we were going to be doing and a safety briefing. Following the lesson we began the process of moving the communication station components from the Small Satellite Lab to our tracking location. The whole lab group pitched in, Jordan and I helped to move the station antenna while Nick, Shantel, and Jeremy moved the base. The other six interns helped to move the radio and other electronics. Jason ensured we had a laptop to control the antenna’s movement.
After moving the various components down four flights of stairs and across a walkway to our tracking location, we were ready for the almosts to begin. We almost got the antenna set up right the first time but after a closer look realized that the antennas were facing the wrong way. So we switched it only to realize that the base was facing the wrong way and not the antenna. We switched the antenna back to the original position and then turned the base the correct way. We almost raised the antenna control module on the first try but missed the correct bolt hole and needed to hoist up the forty pound control module for a second time. Then came the worst almost. We almost tracked satellites, until it started to rain. Literally seconds after finishing the set up, a slight drizzle fell on us and more importantly, the equipment. We all rushed to take down the antenna and accompanying fragile electronics before damage could be done. Fortunately we spared the equipment. Unfortunately we didn’t track a single satellite.
After a day of almosts it would seem as though nothing was actually accomplished. However this is definitely not true. Following the massive effort to set up and take down the station we met in the lab to discuss our somewhat failed efforts only to realize they weren’t a failure. During the debriefing we all agreed a structured checklist complete with step-by-step instructions would be the best way to organize and set up the station. We also discussed some possible design improvements to make things more convenient. A quick weather check also would have been a good idea.
Attachments: Day Eleven Notes, Satellite Communication Stations Set-up Pictures