WindBorne Challenge

A little more about me

What's your favorite video game and why?
- Right now, I’m really into Microsoft Flight Simulator. Understanding the theory of flight is one thing, but actually operating the machinery that makes flying possible is something else entirely. I love seeing all the different ways flight-capable vehicles are used—whether it’s transporting people, fighting wildfires, or supporting research. My goal is to become a pilot one day—not just for the sake of flying, but to help people and contribute to our understanding of the world through my passion for flight and thirst for knowledge.
What gets your blood pumping?
- Anything flight-related! Whether it be rockets, different types of aircraft, or even how some bugs can fly like dragonflies! If it flies, I am interested!
What are you a snob about? In other words, what are you highly opinionated about or what is something where you think your taste is better than other peoples’?
- I’m a snob about turning ideas into reality. If I’m talking about a project, odds are I’ve already got a rough build plan in my head. I’ve got a drone concept to monitor local temperature differences, and instead of letting it live rent-free in my imagination, I’m plotting the steps and rallying the right people to get a prototype in the air.
Name a way you changed your environment to make it work for you. This can be a favorite hotkey, any unconventional systems you hooked up or a way you were opinionated about your workflow. Think outside the box!
- When we added a second location at Armstrong, we were using a three-monitor setup. One monitor had the location streams, one the robot controls, and one the robot's site tools. I reorganized our three-monitor setup so each site’s tools were on opposite sides and the big top screen showed shared info. It made it way easier to know which location we were looking instantly, made sure we knew what tools were for what location, and my fellow operators are still using it.
Showing off
- The most important thing on my desk is a set of pictures of my family — the people who have never doubted or dismissed my ideas, no matter how ambitious. They’ve listened to me nerd out about everything from engineering projects to spacecraft, and their constant encouragement reminds me how important it is to have supportive people in your corner. I’m forever grateful for that.

1. Balloon Altitude Profile Analysis

The graph represents the altitude behavior and control response of a single autonomous balloon from June 2 to June 4, highlighting its interactions with software-defined bounds and onboard control mechanisms.

2. Lifecycle Summary, Phase Timeline Description

Ascent Phase

June 2, 2:00~12:00

Balloon launches and begins to intermittently climb and descend until reaching altitude ceiling.
No ballast events; venting begins when near target altitude.
Controller bounds (soft_lbnd and soft_ubnd) remain relatively fixed, indicating a preprogrammed or static target during climb.

Stable Cruise Phase

June 2, 12:00~22:00

Altitude stays consistent and within the control bounds.
Little to no venting as well as minimal ballast usage.
Control strategy appears optimized for fuel/gas conservation, letting natural lift/settling handle much of the regulation.

Turbulence Phase June 2, 22:00~June 3, 07:00

Larger oscillations in altitude begin, likely due to environmental changes (e.g., temperature shifts, wind).
More frequent vent events as the balloon begins to climb aggressively toward upper bound.
Ballast used in tandem with venting system to damp oscillations.

Event Phase

June 3, 7:00~9:00

Sharp rise in altitude where it reached the set altitude ceiling which simultaneously led to a vent spike to decrease the altitude and bring it back within bounds.
Possible explanation: intentional altitude increase for mission change, or a reaction to rapid environmental lift.
Bounds appear to be adjusted slightly upward, reinforcing the idea of a new target altitude.

Aftermath Phase June 3, 9:00~June 4,02:00

After decreasing the altitude, it begins to climb again and then settles after reaching the new altitude ceiling.
Venting subsides, and ballast events begin to appear more frequently — likely correcting overshoot from the event.
Indicates re-stabilization after a disturbance or planned maneuver.

Descent/Termination Phase

June 4, 02:00~1500

Gradual altitude loss leading to sharp drop.
Control bounds flatten, suggesting active flight control ceased.
Likely scenarios: controlled termination for recovery, end-of-mission descent, or system failure prompting shutdown.

3. What I'm Certain About

The balloon launched on around 02:00 on June 2, ascending steadily until reaching a controlled cruising altitude around midday.
It maintained a stable phase for almost 12 hours, holding within tight control bounds with minimal vent/ballast activity.
Near the beginning of June 3, it entered a turbulent phase with increased altitude oscillations and frequent venting, likely due to environmental changes. This went on for about 6 hours.
At roughly 07:00, a distinct event phase occurred — a rapid climb accompanied by heavy vent activity, suggesting either a commanded altitude change or strong environmental uplift.
Afterward correcting for this event, the balloon re-stabilized at a higher before its altitude steadily dropped in the final phase, likely indicating termination or landing.

4. What I’m Uncertain About

Whether the rapid climb during the event phase was intentionally commanded or caused by unexpected atmospheric conditions (e.g., thermal updrafts).
The exact altitude setpoints or control bounds adjustments — visible bounds could reflect operational changes or temporary environmental pushes.
If any hardware anomalies (sensor errors, actuator delays) contributed to the turbulent or event phases.
The final descent cause — could be natural lift depletion, intentional venting/termination, or environmental sink rates.

5. Final Thoughts

Overall, the balloon demonstrates a robust control response, using autonomous venting and ballast mechanisms to regulate altitude within set bounds. While some late-mission events raise questions about hardware status or mission intent, the data shows a well-functioning, responsive system navigating real-world atmospheric dynamics.

I’d be excited to dig deeper into how your control system works and see firsthand how this kind of data shapes autonomy improvements. I really enjoy spotting patterns in messy datasets, and I’d have a blast contributing to future flight analyses like this.