weather-station-telemetry

🛰️ Weather Station Telemetry System - Space Mission Simulation

License: MIT Arduino C++

📡 Project Overview

This project implements an embedded weather station that simulates telemetry systems used in real space missions. Developed following NASA modular development standards, the system demonstrates fundamental principles of data acquisition, robust serial communication, and error handling in critical embedded systems.

The architecture showcases professional-grade software engineering practices including defensive programming, graceful degradation, and comprehensive error recovery mechanisms that would be essential for autonomous systems operating in remote or hostile environments.

🎯 Technical Objectives

🏗️ System Architecture

The system follows a three-tier modular architecture that separates concerns and facilitates maintenance, exactly as implemented in professional space mission software:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Main Program                  │
│     (Orchestration & Coordination)     │
└─────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
              │
    ┌─────────┴─────────┐
    │                   │
┌───▼────────────┐ ┌───▼──────────────┐
│ Sensor Module  │ │ Communication    │
│                │ │ Module           │
│ • DHT22        │ │                  │
│ • Temperature  │ │ • UART 9600 bps  │
│ • Humidity     │ │ • JSON Protocol  │
│ • Validation   │ │ • Ping/Pong      │
└────────────────┘ └──────────────────┘

This modular design enables independent testing of each component, facilitates debugging through isolation of concerns, and allows for future expansion without requiring complete system rewrites.

🔧 Hardware Requirements

📋 Technical Specifications

DHT22 Sensor Characteristics

Communication Protocol

🚀 Setup and Deployment

Prerequisites

The system requires specific Arduino libraries to interface with the DHT22 sensor:

# Required Arduino Libraries
- DHT sensor library (Adafruit)
- Adafruit Unified Sensor

Installation Process

  1. Clone the repository: 
    git clone https://github.com/your-username/weather-station-telemetry.git
cd weather-station-telemetry
  2. Configure Arduino IDE:
    • Load mainWeatherStation.ino as the primary file
    • Ensure all module files are in the same project directory
    • Verify that the Arduino IDE recognizes all tabs
  3. Install dependencies:
    • Navigate to Library Manager in Arduino IDE
    • Search for “DHT sensor library” by Adafruit
    • Install both “DHT sensor library” and “Adafruit Unified Sensor”

  4. Hardware assembly following the wiring diagram specifications

  5. Deploy and monitor:
    • Compile and upload the complete system
    • Open Serial Monitor at 9600 baud rate
    • Observe real-time telemetry JSON messages

📊 Telemetry Message Format

Sensor Data Transmission

{
  "timestamp": 1234567,
  "id": 42,
  "type": "sensor_data",
  "sensor_type": "temperature",
  "value": 23.5,
  "success": true
}

Health Check Protocol

Ground → Station: ping
Station → Ground: pong

The ping-pong mechanism ensures bidirectional communication capability, which is critical for command reception verification in real space missions.

🔍 Advanced Features

Robust Error Handling Framework

Professional Software Architecture

📈 Future Development Roadmap

📖 Complete Documentation

🛑 AI-Assisted Learning Methodology

This project was developed through an AI-assisted learning approach, where I used Claude AI as an interactive tutor to guide me through embedded systems engineering concepts and best practices. The collaboration followed a structured educational methodology where I was given exercises and challenges to solve independently, with the AI providing guidance, corrections, and explanations when needed.

Learning Process:

Original Project Specification (Click to expand) **Basic Telemetry System** - **Technologies:** C programming language, UART serial communication, I2C/SPI sensor interfaces - **Description:** Embedded weather station designed to simulate space mission telemetry systems - **Core Features:** - Environmental data acquisition including temperature, pressure, humidity, and acceleration measurements - Reliable serial communication link to ground station with Python-based receiving software - Structured frame format inspired by CCSDS (Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems) standards - Real-time data visualization interface for monitoring and analysis - **Technical Skills Demonstrated:** - Low-level C programming with direct hardware interface control - Implementation of robust serial communication protocols - Multi-sensor data acquisition and processing techniques - Professional technical documentation and system architecture design - **Suggested Hardware Platform:** Arduino or STM32 microcontroller with BME280 environmental sensor and MPU6050 accelerometer *Note: The final implementation exceeded the original specification by incorporating advanced error handling, graceful degradation capabilities, and comprehensive system health monitoring that would be suitable for actual aerospace applications.*

Educational Approach Benefits: This structured learning methodology allowed me to develop a comprehensive understanding of embedded systems architecture, sophisticated error handling strategies, and professional documentation practices while maintaining complete ownership of all implementation and design decisions. The AI assistance focused exclusively on teaching fundamental concepts and guiding problem-solving approaches rather than providing ready-made solutions, ensuring that every line of code and every architectural decision represents my own technical understanding and engineering judgment.

The iterative feedback process helped me understand not just what works, but why certain approaches are preferred in professional embedded systems development, particularly for mission-critical applications where reliability and maintainability are paramount concerns.

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for complete details.

Developed as a demonstration of space telemetry systems and critical embedded system architectures. This project showcases professional software engineering practices suitable for aerospace and mission-critical applications.

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