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BYU ELC - Experience #1

Experience #1 - BYU Spacecraft Club: Creating GPS & Camera Payloads For The Rocketry Club

This project was a collaboration between the Spacecraft and Rocketry clubs at BYU. The goal was that the Spacecraft Club teams would create a payload for the rockets that the Rocketry Club teams were making. The payload was to include a real-time GPS module with base station communication as well as a camera to take photos during the flight.

My responsibility was both to collaborate with the Rocketry Club from a position within the Spacecraft Club and to teach & guide the underclassmen in creating the payloads. In addition, because this was the first time we've done this, I had to create the project from scratch, prototyping the systems and ensuring that they were reliable. I learned quite a few things during this project. The largest of which were:

• Project management: I initially struggled with the project management aspect. It always seemed as though there was always less time than I had planned. It was initially difficult to coordinate with other busy individuals. I found solutions to each of these: overestimating project time and communicating well with others to meet up and coordinate.
• Part Reliability: There were several times that parts didn't function properly. I was able to come in and help out whenever such things happen. There was one Spacecraft team that didn't quite complete their project. The counterpart Rocketry team that relied upon them still needed their payload, so I helped out to ensure that the Rocketry team could complete their project. Although this dependency may seem like a weakness in the program, I personally found it to be an enlightening experience: this is how companies work in the industry. Different teams work on different areas of a project. If one team can't pull through, then the project as a whole suffers.
• Teaching: I had to outline the mechanical, electrical, and software system expectations to the teams. I provided some online resources, electrical parts, and my own experience for them to acheive their goal. However, I found teaching to be somewhat tough, particularly to my peers. I suffered from low self-esteem and wondered if they even needed to know what I was teaching them. Gratefully, I was able to learn to be more confident in my instruction and the content that I was teaching. They needed it.

We had two teams participate in the program. Both of them completed the payload but encountered some difficulties along the way. The biggest challenges for me was mostly in coordination. Because some of the members were from the Rocketry Club and they were all busy with their classes. We met regularly to coordinate their work and ensure that they were on track. Below, you can see the photos that they were able to take in their rocket's flight.

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