Opal undergoes final outdoor testing before completion. Full system checks were performed.
 
 

Amy and Alejandro Soto monitor Opal during final testing. They are probing the picosatellite launch lines to verify proper wiring.

Alejandro, Zsolt, and Jamie perform final testing on Opal before shipment.

Amy and Alejandro enjoy the sun during testing. The aluminum hexagon on the right is a protective cover for the top solar panel. The two rectangular panels in the middle are panels from Opal's sides.

Front view of Opal during outside testing. Not quite complete yet. A panel is missing above the launch doors.

A composite photo of the non explosive actuators use to release picos. The red probe is measuring firing lines to determine proper wiring.

This is the back side of Opal.

This is the front side of Opal.

Open backside of Opal.

Open backside of Opal.

Opal sitting next to a debuggin laptop. The computer was used to monitor Opal debug output.

Greg, the true ground station operator, wishes he had a bigger keyboard.

Greg takes the term ground operations to the fullest extent.

This is the launch vechicle interface.

Jamie chats during Opal testing.

Jamie rechecks firing signals to make sure that the correct tubes are being fired when commanded.

Jamie Cutler, Amy Chaput, and Alejandro Soto discuss Opal, life, and the nice California weather.

Jamie shades computer screen as he monitors Opal output. There is a serial cable connecting the PC to Opal that can barely be seen right about his head. The mass of cables to his left represents the art of finding the right connector for serial port communication. The launch adaptor is on the shelf next to the cables.

A last look at Opal during testing.

A good look at Opal's magnetometer. Originally, it was mounted on a 14 inch boom but that was shortened to four inches do to launch vehicle constraints. It's also a good luck at the stainless steel antenna and the plastic mount to the frame. Three of the four internal structure rods are protruding about an inch and a half from the solar panel. The grey spools on the four rods serve as spacers to lift the solar panel protector off the panel.

The four golden cylinders are the non-explosive actuators (NEAs) used to release the picosatellite doors. The NEAs are holding a bold that attaches to a front pico door through a steel cable. A signal from Opal to the NEAs causes them to release the bolt and frees the door to open. The aluminum rectangle to the right of the NEAs on the left is the adaptor between the bolt and the cable. The alumunim box on the tray above the NEAs is one of the accelerometer boxes. The multitude of DB-9 connectors on the bottom is where the solar panels electrically attach to the power circuitry.

This is a good closeup of the NEAs for tubes one and four. The gold cylinders are the NEAs. They are mounted to Opal on an aluminum L-bracket. The small, rectangular aluminum boxes to the left of the NEAs are the adaptors between the NEA bolt and the cable to the front pico doors. Between the adaptor and the L-bracket is spring. This provides a higher tension on the NEA bolt to ensure that it is pulled free from the NEA by the door cable. (The NEA specs never mentioned a minimum preload. We found the hard way during a test fire. By hard I mean that each firing cost us $500. The NEAs can only be reset after a firing by the manufacturer.) The astute observer will notice the bare wires that the DMM probe is measuring. Yes, these are the NEA firing signals. Yes, the connects are just plain DB connector pins. Yes, this is a poor way to do an interconnect. Yes, we were poor and couldn't afford the appropriate connector. And yes, it worked!

A view of Opal during NEA wiring tests.

Zsolt Kiraly, an SSDL student working on the Orion project, takes a look at Opal during testing. He's wondering when Orion will be at this stage!

Zsolt takes a close look at the launch vehicle interface.

Zsolt shows off the bottom of the LVI (launch vechicle interface). The gold cylinder is an NEA actuator used to release Opal from the launch vechile. The irregular aluminum plates on the four corners of the LVI are the feet that attach to the vehicle. A last minute change was made to increase the surface area of the feet. Hence their rather haphazard look. But once again, it worked perfectly.