Open Hardware. Parallel development

Following you have an interesting discussion about Pros and Cons of parallel development by some Team FREDNET components when were developing the Mark-I Lander mock-up.

Monroe said:
What do you think about quided parachutes?

Joshua said:
Inside the WikiSat team, we have developed and calibrated our autonomous parachute built by Niki, assembred by Tobias and calibrated by me. See this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPm3ooVAyAs
The problem is the glide slope (50%) only allows 5 kilometers of travel if takes control at 10 kilometers when parachute is deployed. In February perhaps we use this parachute in the balloon flight #3.

Ryan said:
I'm not sure we should develop any systems that has zero relevance to our Moon landing. i. e. We can't use guided parachutes in a Moon landing.

Monroe said:
Right, but I am behind the curve at the moment and learning. Seems there is parallel possibility's. This is discussion only and relevant to guidance for our Mark-I Lander there are similarity's in multiple systems and developing a platform that is useful in all of them, may prove wise? If that is possible I am unsure. I am looking for way's to build a good fundation for our Mark-I Lander that may benefit other portions of our Team FREDNET project as Mark-II or III.

Joshua said:
Oh sure! You can see that we use same platform for:

• WikiSat satellite for the N-Prize
• Lunar PicoRover computer for the X-Prize
• A possible Home Made launcher to guide the trajectory
• Autonomous parachute controller for training and fun

In addition we are developing our designs based on parallel platforms like:

• Texas Instruments eZ430 platform
• Arduino-Nano platform
• and perhaps the Waspmote platform

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Well, you can see in this discussion some Pros and Cons for the Parallel development. We try to improve, test and validate in near space in a Open Source way. Everybody arround the world can buy one of these components and make space science using Open Hardware technology.

Open source flight components fabrication on livestream

Open source projects are easy to develop by a large team if they share the source by means of a software repository and of course some programming tools.

When we try to develop a hardware project in the same way, the drawings are like the source and machines are like the programming tools.

A third component is also required in both approaches: experience.

In Team FREDNET we have this open hardware approach:
Team FREDNET attempts to do several things that no organization has successfully done before, and that requires some innovation. Innovation often starts in chaos. Source

When we develop a new prototype based on shared drawings also we develop procedures and methods to build things and we have found hard to communicate this experience to any other people in the open community. For this reason we use a wiki where you can find designs, studies, and also information related to our organithation. I can provide you my example for the PicoRover a small lunar rover based in a crazy idea of a moving ball descovered in the Team FREDNET forums by me when I become a new Team FREDNET member one year ago. This lunar rover design is part of the some other lunar rover designs done by the guys of the Rover group as a result of the parallel development: It is to say develop the same thing by different working groups. Now I want to show to the opne community how I learned to build a PicoRover using a livestream channel.

If you want see in real time how I build the latest protoype of PicoRover or just see how we launch any stratospheric balloon you can see me at:
http://livestream.com/frednetballoon/

But if you were late, or you live in other part of the planet than me, don't worry. You can see on-demant any show I made for you.

My best,
Joshua Tristancho