Found this in the Grauniad this morning. some lads from MIT launched a balloon into near-space which captured images of the earth showing the earth to be clearly round before falling back to earth. They tracked the balloon using cool software then retrieved the imagery.
Meet the next generation of NASA scientists!
Here's the link
Germany's English-speaking crowd
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Students launch balloon into near-space for $150
Photos from 93,000 feet, how cool is this?
I, like many TT'ers of a certain vintage, have met the current generation of NASA employee, and can safely say that the new lot will be a great improvement, even if all they do is launch balloons.
I saw this on yahoo last week and my first thought was how soon before we can attach an anti-ICBM shield to a balloon?
Aye Jimbo, where did he mosey off to? He is missed.
Another example:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arena5/sets/72157606119049987/detail/
Do your own google earth pictures!
http://www.flickr.com/photos/arena5/sets/72157606119049987/detail/
Do your own google earth pictures!
Some hobby balloonists in Canada have done similar and their videos are very impressive.
See the launch and retrieval, and the video at 30,000 m.
This is a still from the video at 30,000 m:
See the launch and retrieval, and the video at 30,000 m.
This is a still from the video at 30,000 m:
One of the comments posted on that site:
Awesome. Please don’t do that again (I’m a pilot and I don’t want to run into your contraption in the air). Very cool, regardless.
The 'Disclaimer' is also interesting:***CAUTION/DISCLAIMER: Launching things into the stratosphere can be DANGEROUS! Please contact the FAA before trying any launches (even if they are under 4 lbs.) to make sure your vehicle won’t be entering restricted airspace and PLEASE check the University of Wyoming’s Balloon Trajectory Predictor(or a similar website) to make sure you balloon won’t be landing in the city/a populated area where it might cause significant damage. Also, be sure to test your balloon’s terminal velocity for descent before launching. We tested our parachute by putting eggs inside of our styrofoam box and tossing the box off of a 5 story building. We were not satisfied with the landing speed of our box until the eggs did not break upon the box’s impact.
Just great innit?
They pay millions of dollars to make a spoof film about going to the moon, only to be outdone by a load of Spotty school kids who piss about with ballons all day..
I bet next news they will be spouting off about Kenedy being shot by a Spud gun!
I just love it!
They pay millions of dollars to make a spoof film about going to the moon, only to be outdone by a load of Spotty school kids who piss about with ballons all day..
I bet next news they will be spouting off about Kenedy being shot by a Spud gun!
I just love it!
It seems to be the season for these things.
As seen on Slashdot today, another video, this time in HD, and from 107,145 ft.
That's 32,658 meters, or nearly one third of the way to what NASA defines as space.
As seen on Slashdot today, another video, this time in HD, and from 107,145 ft.
That's 32,658 meters, or nearly one third of the way to what NASA defines as space.
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