Executive Summary
Our Mission Statement and Vision
Situation-Nov 1, 2006
(Need to divide this into 3 parts - past, present, future)
The RISE teams launched their balloon payload on October 22, 2006. The payload ascended to an altitude of approximately 9,000 ft, far short of the expected 80,000 ft. The cause of the early descent is unknown at this time. Possible causes include poor choice of rope and/or error in microcontroller coding. The teams are currently creating a performance evaluation of each subsystem of their respective designs. The team will report their findings and those findings will be used to determine if another launch should be attempted in this semester (Fall 2006).
Students have determined that a foundation, in the form of high quality, usable documentation, is needed to help ensure the success of future missions and to save time in the future.
The director has also identified a need for a comprehensive plan for both the sort term (rest of the Fall 2006) and long term (up to Fall 2007) plan. A high quality plan should consist of a specific statement of vision that encapsulates the overall view of the future of the program, S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results (not methods), Time bound) outcomes for each semester, major milestones within the semester, and a step by step plan targeted at achieving each milestone on time. The plan should consist of small tasks (scope <5 hrs each) with specific owners and due dates spread evenly throughout the semester.
Contingency plans should also be formulated for each major foreseeable pit fall. These plans should contain a specific description of the pit fall and a step by step plan to get back on track in a reasonable time frame.
The plans are to be presented in a report format and summarized in a Gant Chart and Work Breakdown Structure format for ease of use.
RISE Mission
1. Introduce Idaho students to space design engineering and provide the opportunity to participate in aerospace-related design experiences, including the design, development, testing, and operation of space-flight hardware, especially systems that will operate in extreme environments
2. Provide Idaho Students with experience in project management and working as a member of design teams
3. Prepare students for and contribute to the development of an experienced and technologically capable aerospace workforce through the promotion of science, math, engineering education and necessary skill required for engineers and scientists to enter the 21st century workforce.
NASA Mission
To understand and protect our home planet,
To explore the universe and search for life,
To inspire the next generation of explorers…
as only NASA can
Vision
The University of Idaho RISE program will continue to expand and develop as an organization renowned for inspiring a passion for exploration of our universe in the hearts and minds of college students at the University of Idaho. High school students from across the state and country will be able to recognize the scientific and technical significance of what the program has accomplished and want to be a part of the highly successful and rewarding projects. The projects will be focused enough to where their outcomes will be important contributions to science and technology, but broad enough to where students from a variety of disciplines can work together and contribute equally. An important scientific or technical contribution is a project outcome that enables undergraduate students to present research papers or posters at technical conferences across the country and around the world.
By 2009 the balloon program at the University of Idaho will have well established capability to design, build, launch, send/receive telemetry, uplink commands, track, recover, and process/interpret data. The program will have at least two flight ready science payloads and the capability to launch the payloads twice a semester. Each science payload will have an onboard computer and a suite of sensors tailored to investigate a specific scientific area. The payloads will have the ability to store data onboard, and send the data and position for real time tracking and analysis. We will also have the ability to monitor science experiments with live and recoded video and uplink commands from a ground station for real time control of cameras or experiments.
Our ballooning capabilities will be flight proven and reliable by 2010 and some of the more experienced members of the program will have enough training and experience to begin a higher level project. These students will set outcomes, develop a plan and management structure that will enable them to design a small satellite or a sounding rocket experiment to be launched into space.
VAST Strategic Goals for 2007 to 2017
1. Offer a design based program to promote the skills, experience, and expertise necessary to successfully design engineering hardware to operate in the extreme environments of the upper atmosphere and space;
2. Offer the opportunity and resources for participants to design and build experimental spacecraft and/or systems for sub-orbital, Earth orbiting, and beyond Earth application;
3. Educate Participants in the different fields necessary for successful flight operation of near space and space missions, including (but not limited to): (1) System Design and Testing, (2) Spacecraft Guidance, Control, and Navigation, (3)Communications and Telemetry, and (4) Tracking and Recovery;
4. Encourage the involvement of K-16 student in the program, especially females and underrepresented individuals, in order to inspire more students to pursue aerospace education and careers.
Fall 2006 Outcomes
If we find that the design meets the minimum requirements for launch and the teams are motivated to launch again, we will proceed with another launch. If the teams find that the design is flawed in ways that would require a re-design or the teams simply do not have the motivation we will begin a new design loop as soon as we complete the processing of the lessons learned and create the base documentation required for the next launch.
1. Finish manufacturing/programming necessary to raise design to test readiness level.
2. Each team create and deliver a technical presentation outlining the key features of design.
3. Troubleshoot and test components, sub-systems and fully integrated payload and receiving stations together to confirm functionality of design.
4. Produce, document and perform risk mitigation strategies.
5. Launch and recover payload.
6. Create a comprehensive launch handbook that contains users manuals for all software and hardware used on launch day, detailed instructions for assembling the payloads and configuring the hardware properly and inflating the balloon to the correct lift, contact information for FAA and sheriffs in Idaho and Washington counties, a detailed plan for launch, tracking and recovery, documentation of frequencies used, supplies checklist, and final launch inspection checklist.
7. Inventory and organize supplies and tools.
8. Completely move into new work area.
9. Small teams submit project proposals that include details on scope, budget, and deliverables for mid to short term projects to be worked on during the remainder of the fall semester and into the spring semester.
10. Create a budget and allocate remaining funds to the projects proposed by teams within the project.
11. Create a detailed plan for the Spring semester including SMART outcomes and strategies for meeting goals.
12. Outline an incentives program (awards, pizza parties, t-shirts etc…) to reward students for meeting goals
Strategy
In order to meet outcomes listed above we will need to break down each major outcome into minor accomplishments. Each minor accomplishment will be listed in a work breakdown structure (WBS) with an associated scope, due date, detailed description of outcome, and a specific person that is responsible for delivery. The WBS will be used to guide progress and hold individuals accountable for outcomes.
Revise strategy as often as appropriate to insure the successful completion of the established outcomes.
Inside VAST
Our Core Values
Our original acronym, RISE, stood for "Research Involving Students in Engineering" and this phrase capsulizes exactly what our main core value is - to get students involved in hands-on, real-life projects in engineeering. Working in teams with other engineers, students get an amazing chance to work on projects in much the manner they will be seeing in their future workplaces.
Structure and Organization
Our leadership team is headed by a student coordinator who runs class meetings and is responsible for the student-led projects. He is advised by our Faculty Advisor, a resident professor, and the Space Grant Consortium, who provide us with both funding and direction. Originally, the base of our structure was composed of only three teams: science and engineering, structures, and communications. However, in the Fall of 2006 with the introduction of three new projects outside of these core teams, it was decided that two more teams were needed - outreach and project management. These two teams started work on their respective projects in the Spring of 2007.
Each of the teams is headed by a team lead, who is responsible for the actions and objectives of his team. To support them, each team also has a assistant lead, to step in when the lead is unavailable.
VAST External Support and Advisors
NASA
UI
The Univeristy of Idaho provides not only the location and credit opportunities for the VAST students, but also supports us with an enormous pool of some of the best educated minds in the world to draw from - our professors.
FAA
Outreach and Education
High School Level
Collegiate Level
In the Community
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
At the University of Idaho, we have several thousand engineering students to draw from as well as hundreds of knowledgeable professors. Our strength is in this great flexibility; we can draw in any specialty, any majors that we may need, and make use of that mighty pool of knowledge.
Weaknesses
In our greatest strength you will also find our greatest weekness. With a continually revolving student base, each with their own time schedule and course loads, we may loose an important member of our teams. However much we may miss that member, is in necessary to understand that we are first students, and then members of VAST.
Opportunites
One of the strongest opportunities that UI's VAST program has is the ability to look at and consider almost any problem. We have been given great freedom; that freedom allows us to consider many options without prejudice.
Threats
Our two largest threats are either almost completely out of our control or so unlikely that worrying is a waste of time. The first threat, that NASA should loose their funding, and through them we loose our funding, is nothing that we can influence. Secondly, we may loose our student base, and so have the University remove the course from its list, but at 30 plus students strong, this looks highly unlikely.
