As mentioned earlier, though, the CHDK scripting functionality can provide useful data about the flight.  The CHDK scripting language (a variant of BASIC) allows for file logging, and, with some formatting tricks, the data saved can be imported directly into your favorite spreadsheet program.

There are two CHDK commands on which this functionality relies heavily: the print_screen n command and the get_temperature n command.  The print_screen command takes one numeric argument and creates a LOG_xxxx.txt file in the /CHDK/LOGS directory, and from that point on, any information sent to the screen of the camera (using the print command) gets written into the file as well.  The get_temperature command also takes a numeric argument, and returns the temperature observed by the optics temperature sensor, the CCD temperature sensor, or the battery temperature sensor (as equipped), depending on the argument passed to the function.  Results come back in degrees C, and (here's the trick) by using a comma-separated values file structure, the resulting log file can be understood by spreadsheet programs natively.  For example, here's the log file from the EDGE2 flight (the only change made was to change the extension from .txt to .csv; you can open it with a spreadsheet program or a text editor):

Using the data above, even a quick line plot of the temperature data captured can be telling:

Note that the temperature recorded is not the ambient temperature; it's the temperature (in this case) of the optical temperature sensor on the inside of the A480.  Want to see how we did that, and perhaps use it for yourself?  Feel free... the CHDK script is below.  It's really pretty simple, and there are functions in there that can be used to enable taking a picture at the maximum zoom level every nth picture... the file below is exactly what we flew on EDGE2, so some of the code isn't used (we've found in previous flights that zoomed-in pictures just aren't as fun).  Feel free to contact us if you have questions about it, and we'll do what we can to help.  Keep in mind, though that CHDK in general, and this script are offered with no warrantee, and there's no guarantee that it won't destroy your camera.  Here's the source:

Now for the fun stuff... here's a picture from near the ~88,500' apex of EDGE2:

And a view of the landing site from on the way down:

Back to Flight Summary