Flying Squirrel #5 – Getting ready for a March 2020 launch.

Its been a busy season around the Squirrel Engineering labs. But silently in the background Flying Squirrel #5 (FS5) has been taking shape. Based on a whole new radio telemetry design, FS5 is using APRS to relay data back to the ground. This has some major advantages over the HF signals sent by prior flying […]

ESP8266 Inclinometer – Spookie action at a distance.

The ESP8266 Inclinometer is deployed. Spookie is a feral cat. “Spooky action at a distance”, is a quote attributed to Albert Einstein Physics puns aside, cats are understandably nervous creatures when it comes to the subject of physics. After all, there is that whole business of Schrodinger’s cats  that didn’t fare all that well. (This […]

The Heat is On! – Keeping cozy while flying in Styrofoam class.

  One of the goals of the Flying Squirrel #4 (FS4) mission was to stay warm. Prior Flying Squirrel flights either froze to death or appeared likely to do so had another failure not terminated the flight early. For FS4, our Squirrel carried it’s own personal heating blanket to keep warm in the sub-zero temperatures. […]

Flying Squirrel #3 in a Nutshell

A Quick Users Guide to the Flying Squirrel #3 High Altitude Balloon Project. The mission of the Flying Squirrels is to promote STEM (Science Technology, Engineering & Math) skills in a fun project environment.  All persons interested in Flying Squirrels are welcome to participate in the project. Our third balloon, Flying Squirrel #3 is ready […]

Listening to Flying Squirrel #3 Telemetry from the Greater LA Basin area.

Can you hear me now? I have heard from many interested Ham Radio Operators and SWL enthusiasts that want to monitor the FS3 Balloon telemetry  from their home QTHs located in the greater LA Basin.   This basin is formed by tall mountain ranges, East of the coastal cities, which reach as high as 11,503 ft. […]