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November 1, 2009
Sunday 900h:
Currently this is what our schedule looks like for the upcoming week.
Sun November 1st: Trumpf Set up/Teams Arrive & Security Badges
Mon November 2nd: Team Badges, NASA Lakebed Staging, Horizontal Laser Calibration
Tues November 3rd: Dry Run/Vertical Laser Calibration
Wed November 4th: 1st Climber Attempts (4 two hour windows)/Media Day
Thurs November 5th: 2nd Climber Attempts (5 two hour windows)
Fri November 6th: Airfield Closed All Day/Awards Presentation
October 30, 2009
Friday 1500h:
The sense of urgency to stay on time with the traveling schedule is visible throughout the team. With the departure time of 1600h not to far away, there are some people that still have not slept from packing and testing last night. USST is showing many qualities as to why they have finished first in the last three years. I've heard many of the members claim, "Sleep is for the weak" and USST is showing how strong of a team they really are and will be a force to be reckoned with at the competition.
October 29, 2009
Thursday 2100h:
The Team only has one more full night of preparation before leaving for the competition in the Mojave Desert. Each USST member is showing resilient composure with the competition looming only days away. Once again another late night of testing, preparation and packing lies in front of the them. It is exciting to see all the individuals working together as one in pursuit of accomplishing their ultimate goal.
October 28, 2009
Wednesday 2300h:
With the departure date for the competition fast approaching, team members work relentlessly to ensure that all remaining tasks and preparations are met. Another late night is expected as the team diligently checks and tests all the equipment ensuring that the components are competition ready. Only two days remain before USST is scheduled to depart for Edwards Air Force Base in Dryden, California.
Hungry spies have infiltrated USST Headquarters and have managed to capture these few rare pictures from the otherwise secretive team.
 A box of mysterious electronics (possibly used for controlling the temperature of the cupcake-baking oven...)
 An oven tin for baking cupcakes...
 A cupcake? (looks kinda crunchy...)
 A stick of some sort for moving pans of cupcakes out of the hot oven...
 For real: A set of climber parts (looking dead sexy in her black-and-red anodizing job).
February 25, 2008
On Feb 25, 2008 the USST held elections for new executive positions. There was an excellent turnout of members. The following is the new executive for 2008
• President (Patrick Allen)
• V.P. Finance (Jordan Gareau)
• V.P. Engineering (Mark Boots)
• V.P. Marketing (Justin Equina)
• Power Source Design Head (Mark Boots)
• Climber Design Head (Stephan Kopchinski)
• Mechanical Team Lead (Andrew Williams)
• Electrical Team Lead (Nathan Windels)
Jan 8, 2008
On Jan 7, the USST held there first meeting of the new year. Alot of exciting things were discussed about next years design and the challange of the 2008 competition. The USST's next meeting will be on Jan 21 at 8:00 pm in room 2C40 and is open to anybody wishing to join the team.
Nov 26, 2007:
 On Nov 10 and 11 Clayton and Matt attending the EuroSpaceward Tether & Climber Workshop held in Luxembourg. It was an amazing workshop and a great experience for the two members.
Nov 22, 2007:
 The USST displayed their climber at the Canadian Space Summit in Calgary, Alberta held on Nov 16-18. To learn more about the Summit, visit the following link.
Canadian Space Summit
October 25, 2007:
 The USST have arrived home safely after a 24 hour drive from Utah. The team is extremely happy with their performance and although they did not win the prize money, there was not an unhappy face to be seen after the competition.
October 22, 2007
It has taken a long time and a lot of work to perfect, but USST has finally built a working laser beaming system to power their robotic climber. The team has set records in the process and believe that this is only the beginning. The system has demonstrated efficiency and consistency by powering the climber up the ribbon 5 times in a row, with each climb taking around 55 seconds. Now that the system is working consistently, the USST feels that it will be much easier to build upon this solid foundation and is sure that they will return next year with an even more powerful system.
October 20, 2007
 The USST is working on some finishing touches like calibrating the beam guidance system, tweaking electronics, and practicing setup procedures. This picture shows the USST's booth set up on "Climber Row". There has been a lot of interest from all the visitors. Depending on the weather, the team will be competing (for real) on Sunday (tomorrow) at noon or sometime after. Check out the competition website or the space elevator blog for more information.
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October 19, 2007
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The new solar cells are now mounted to the climber. They are more compact and about 4kg lighter than the previous solar cells. The previous cells were integral to the team's first place finishes in 2005 and 2006 and also in Thursday's laser powered qualification climb. They are extremely versatile and the team is confident that the new cells will be that much better. |
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October 18, 2007
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The USST has qualified a second time, this time using wireless power beaming. The USST was told that this was the FIRST EVER laser powered wireless climb. This is a huge accomplishment for the team. The team has been testing this type of power beaming for over a year.
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October 17, 2007
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The USST has qualified! They are now able to compete on the full scale competition tether after they perform some final tests on their laser power beaming system. This picture shows the USST's climber, named "The Seaman Brothers Climber", mounted on its testing treadmill named "The Kramer Treadmill". Thank you to our generous sponsors. Note the payload tubes attached to each side of the climber.
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October 17, 2007
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The new cells will be mounted on a lightweight honeycomb material. Members have spent many hours preparing and building a honeycomb backing material. They have also purchased a pre-made honeycomb which is made with a lesser material. After many destructive tests including subjecting the material to extreme heat, dynamic loading, bending, and cutting, the USST has decided to go with the purchased honeycomb, even though it is slightly heavier. |
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October 16, 2007
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The new cells have arrived. They are in perfect condition and are slightly smaller (and lighter) than the array that USST has used in the past.
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October 13, 2007
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The USST have arrived at the hotel in Layton, Utah. The team will be setting up at the competition site tomorrow. 21 members made the trip from Saskatoon. After a long but relaxing trip, the team is now ready to buckle down and prepare for the qualifying rounds. |
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September 11, 2007
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The breakfast presentation was a success. The USST generated excitement amongst members of the Saskatoon community. Thank you to everyone who attended and to the Prairie Policy Centre for organizing the event. |
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September 9, 2007
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The USST will be featured on CTV's News at Noon on Monday, September 10, 2007.
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September 3, 2007
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The USST set up a booth at the 2007 University of Saskatchewan Orientation. This generated a lot of interest among the first year students and faculty who toured through the event. It was surprising how many people have heard of the USST through various sources. |
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August 31, 2007
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The USST has officially received approval from the FAA to operate a laser outdoors at the Davis County Fairgrounds, in Farmington, Utah from October 15 through October 21, 2007. |
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August 24, 2007
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The USST will be holding a press conference on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 at the Park Town Hotel, from 7:30 - 9:00 am. Breakfast will be served at 7:30 and a short presentation will follow. Everyone is welcome to join the USST for this presentation and Q & A period. Please register online at www.prairiecentre.com.
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August 23, 2007
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USST continues with design and fabrication for their 2007 power beaming system. This 3D model displays how two parts will be incorporated together.
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August 22, 2007
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USST has been unofficially notified by the FAA that they will be approved to operate their laser power source at the Elevator 2010 competition in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
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August 20, 2007
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USST now has 4 members working full time in the areas of design, safety, programming, testing, travel, logistics, and website. Only a couple of weeks remain until members return from their summer jobs and the USST will be in full force.
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August 14, 2007
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Members of USST have photos taken to be published in "NASA 50", a publication celebrating the 50th anniversary of NASA. USST was shortlisted as one of the organizations which will have an impact on the future of space exploration.
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August 13, 2007
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USST President spoke at Saskatoon City Council meeting to gain the support of the city. Earlier in the summer, USST also delivered presentations to Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce, the North Saskatchewan Business Association, and to several U of S Alumni.
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July 25, 2007
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18 members of USST attended Laser Safety Officer Training. A professional Laser Safety Consultant from Ontario was flown in to give the extensive full day course. |
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July 18, 2007
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USST President presented at the Saskatchewan Advanced Technology Association annual general meeting. |
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June 22, 2007
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USST hosted a tour for Engineering Alumni from the U of S. Many of the Alumni were excited about the project and the initiative of the people involved.
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June 2007
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Mechanical testing continues. Static and dynamic roller resistance tests begin as well as roller configuration, material, surface, and diameter. Ribbon tracking is also a crucial component of these tests. |
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June 1, 2007
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USST President gave Tony Keller a tour of the Mechanical Engineering operations at the U of S, highlighting the achievements of USST. Tony is the managing editor of special projects for Macleans Magazine and oversees projects such as the annual Macleans University Ranking. |
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May 29, 2007
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USST received a new workspace at the U of S. This will make it much easier to store equipment, work on mechanical systems, and program electronics. Note the ribbon suspended from the ceiling to be used for testing.
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May 28, 2007
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USST President spoke at the opening ceremonies of Congress 2007, the largest annual academic gathering in Canada. USST was asked to speak at the grand opening of the Innovation Gallery.
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April 10, 2007
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Last USST general meeting before summer. Meetings will continue as usual throughout the summer months, with the 10 - 15 members that will remain in Saskatoon. |
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March 22, 2007
: Members of the USST Executive presented to the Dean of Engineering Executive Committee. |
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March 8-10, 2007
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The USST volunteered at the Canadian Engineering Competition held at the Delta Bessborough Hotel in Saskatoon. |
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January 21, 2006
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From January 18th to 21st the USST participated in Spectrum 2007, North America's largest student run science and technology fair. Spectrum drew over 9,000 spectators to view the 282 student and industry displays. The USST had the highest honour of being awarded 'Best Overall Display'.
Spectrum was first held in 1959, and has been run every three years since.
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October 22, 2006
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The final results of the Elevator: 2010 Competition were released today by the Spaceward Foundation. Although the USST led the pack in the competition, and are this years winning team, their climb yesterday was 0.04 meters per second (averaged) too slow to claim the prize money. Although slightly disappointed in the decision, the USST are very happy with the performance of their climber and completing the competition in first place. |
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October 21, 2006
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This afternoon, after a hard week of preparation and over coming many obstacles, the USST climbed Spaceward’s 200 ft tether in 57.5 seconds! This is a new speed record in remote beam powered climbing. |
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October 13, 2006
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Today ten members of the USST left for Las Cruces, NM, to compete in the 2nd annual Elevator: 2010 Competition. The members that will represent the USST in the competition this year are Clayton Ruszkowski, Remko van den Hurk, Morgan Bradford, Ken Elliot, Jeff Nattress, Jeremy Zakresky, Devon Loeher, Andrews Williams, Barry Chan and Matthew Evans. Travelling to Las Cruces with them are a film crew who will be filming a documentary on the team and the Elevator: 2010 competition. |
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Sept 15, 2006
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Things are moving quite fast now. All the components of the Laser Beam Power Source should be here by early next week. The Climber is coming along fast, as well as the cooling system for the laser and its optics.
Sept 10, 2006
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The USST will be holding an Information Session for the general public on September 20th at 9:20am at the Saskatoon Club, in downtown Saskatoon. This will be a good opportunity for anyone who is interested on our project to come out and see what we are doing for the Elevator: 2010 Competition this year. We have made some new and exciting innovations to the project this year, so it should be quite interesting.
July 25, 2006
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In the last month we have brought aboard four more sponsors. Thank you to our new sponsors!
We are continuing the development of our power source and climber, and we are now entering the initial testing phase.
May 11, 2006
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We are continuing to pursue sponsorship opportunities, and the development of the robotic climber and the power source is ongoing.
April 12, 2006
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We received funding from the Student Activities Fund from the College of Engineering at the University of Saskatchewan.
March 28, 2006
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We have been sponsored by Applied Industrial Technologies, B & T Rubber, Bearing & Transmission, and HyPower Systems following our presentation at B & T's main office in Saskatoon.
February 1, 2006
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The Dean's Fund has reimbursed us for some of our travel expenses for our previous year.
January 8, 2006
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Starting January 15, USST general meetings will be held Sunday mornings at 10:00 am.
November 11, 2005
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CTV News is filming a segment on us at 9:30 am, in the Hardy lab. Feel free to stop by.
October 24, 2005
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Thanks to our success at the Elevator 2010 climber competition, we have had much media exposure. See the Media section for the press releases.
August 1, 2005
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Clayton has secured a grant from Kramer LTD. Sponsorship brochures have also been sent out to 10 or so large corporations like Wal-Mart, McDonalds, etc.
Progress is currently being made on the structure. The brake system will most likely be pneumatic-based, and we are currently working with a pneumatics company to get a design for it. Remko is investigating solar cell arrangement at this time. James Pendrigh is working on controls/programming from his home in Didsbury, AB.>
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