Two engineering students at John Brown University, Salvatierra and Martínez, set their sights on a high-flying goal: the PEU-UNAM CanSat Competition 2026 hosted in Mexico. They knew that a satellite is useless if it cannot "phone home, " so they embarked on a mission to build the DATGRS—a custom Data Acquisition, Transmission, and Ground Receiving System.
The challenge was complex. They needed to squeeze a GPS, barometer, accelerometer, and even a CO2 sensor onto a tiny frame and have them all gather data simultaneously. To keep the system from crashing under the pressure, they engineered a solution using FreeRTOS, a real-time operating system that acted as a traffic controller, assigning specific priorities to every sensor to ensure that critical flight data never got stuck.
Using high-precision components like the Texas Instruments TMP117 and long-range LoRa radios, they forged a robust wireless link between the sky and the ground. After rigorous testing—heating sensors, spinning gyroscopes, and validating altitude readings—the system held firm. Now, equipped with a reliable $350 telemetry prototype, they are ready to represent JBU on the international stage in Mexico, proving that sophisticated aerospace engineering is within their reach.
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