So, this is basically the only post on here that is coming real time. What I mean by that is all the other posts are going to describe my progress in the project in a past tense. This is because I have a deadline (May 21) on which I have to present, so at the moments it’s more important for me to make progress towards completing the launch to near-space than for me to blog about it.

That said, I wanted to at least tell the world where I am in my project.

• As of right now, I have built three ARV prototypes, and I am currently working on a 4th.
• I purchased a tank of helium today and have several balloons, so I’m actually ready to launch as soon as the plane is good to fly.
• The autopilot software is coming along. It’s difficult and unclear progress, but at least it’s progress. I have now settled on using version 2.75 as the base for my modified version of the flight controller.

The reason I chose version 2.75 and not the newest version is also the reason I’m writing this blog post now. When I modified version 3.22 and uploaded it to my flight control board, it bricked. I was planning to do autonomous testing tomorrow (Thursday May 14) and launch on Friday. That is no longer a possibility, as the replacement flight controller board won’t be getting here until Friday. I will now be launching on Monday May 18.

These last few days before the launch are going to be a little hectic, so don’t expect much communication from me. After the launch however, I plan to edit and write up all of my information so that people can actually see what this project was. I have tons of footage and pictures that just need to be contextualized and uploaded to the interwebs. Information is coming soon!