Miniaturized Wireless Data Acquisition for Payload Development and Integration

The US Navy is in need of a small, robust, flexible data acquisition system for their testing of various submarine and surface payloads. The parameters that are measured during each launch include acceleration, roll/pitch/yaw, bending strain, compressive loads, velocity, displacement, hydrodynamic pressures, etc. All of these parameters are used during prototype testing and development of the different payloads of all different sizes, to refine launch impulse, vehicle structural, and safe separation requirements, and to improve and validate the Navy's Simulation Based Design tools. Obtaining the precise, high fidelity data on a platform that is re-useable and easily configured and that fits the form and function is the goal. The objective of this proposal effort is to design and verify the feasibility of a miniaturized system that can withstand launch loads, fit into new launch vehicles, be very energy efficient, and be easily programmed. Boston Engineering has deployment hardware (FlexStackr) that needs to be tested and potentially modified for use in the launch environment. The FlexStack will also need to be modified to provide the signal conditioning required and the number of data acquisition channels.