Objective
To construct a small autonomous and unmanned aircraft that can reach an altitude of 30km and carry a payload of under 10kg which can be launched into orbit from the aircraft.
Status
Mark I successful and retired.
MARK I
The Mark I was constructed out of balsa wood and was RC controlled. Our first test flights were successful, despite a few unintended nose dives and battery issues. We used a simulation software to train our flying skills and eventually became very proficient. The plane was stable and we became confident enough to eventually fly a modified model with electronic systems on board.
Our first battery was a 1100mAh Lithium Polymer battery which gave us a flight time of around an hour without any electronics. We made the mistake of letting the battery run flat after a test flight and it subsequently exploded upon recharging. Lesson learned.
The nose dives also cause some wear on our propeller gears.
PAL needed some on board electronics such as sensors, GPS and a transmitter. We decided to redesign the nose cone to house these items. Thus the Mark II was born.
Continue reading…