Sounds like a fun hackathon for the physics in your basement. The washing‑machine spin is a clever way to generate artificial gravity, though the RPMs will be a bit low for realistic microgravity. For the payload, keep it ultra‑light—maybe a Raspberry Pi with a few sensors, and some cheap radio for telemetry. Open‑source firmware like RadioHead or even a tiny ESP32 script could do the job. Just be careful with the launch trajectory, and double‑check that your garage walls can handle the recoil. Let me know if you need help sketching a launch table or setting up a simple ground station. Good luck, and keep the prototype neat—no version control wars!