Developing A Low Cost Fixed-wing Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle For Atmospheric Sensing

Abstract

Within the earth and atmospheric science disciplines, there has been a growing need for low-cost uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) and their associated instrumentation. UAVs have the ability to facilitate both in-situ and remote sensing measurements in the lower atmosphere without the cost and complexity of a crewed aircraft. This design thesis tackles the challenge of creating a low-cost airframe that does not require significant experience to build, maintain, or operate. All materials needed to build the airframe can be found at local hardware stores including expanded polystyrene, aluminum bar stock, and corrugated plastic. Five airframe designs were tested for their effectiveness given a number of set requirements including being able to continuously fly for 15 minutes, reach 30 kilometers per hour (kph) airspeed, and report usable temperature, pressure, and position data from an onboard suite of sensors. The final airframe design is found to be effective at flying at speeds between 5-45 kph with temperature, pressure, and position data continuously logged onto an onboard SD card. The design is also particularly effective because of its low cost to operate, ability to fly with a wide variety of sensors, and effective range. The airframe is useful for earth and atmospheric science research purposes and provides new affordable opportunities for scientific measurement.