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Taking Linux to New Heights

Posted by timothy on from the laden-with-detail dept.

JimDog writes "Literally. I've created a web site documenting the construction and launch of a high altitude 'weather' balloon, with a payload that runs Linux. The project was a great success, reached an altitude of 80,000 feet, and took some really amazing aerial photos."

5 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. Re:not to troll, but ... by SoCalChris · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The point isn't that it is running Linux, the point is that he made a really cool project that floated to 80,000 feet and took pictures, AND he got the whole thing back to retrieve the pictures. To me that is awfully impressive. The fact that it runs Linux was just one cool part of the project.

  2. Re:Old News by jmb-d · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Sorry, but you've been beaten by a few years and several hundred miles. Linux has already been in orbit aboard the space shuttle several times.

    But the debian gang didn't build their own shuttle, now did they?

    --
    In walking, just walk. In sitting, just sit. Above all, don't wobble.
    -- Yun-Men
  3. Actually, this is kinda cool. by RayBender · · Score: 3, Insightful
    Shame, people. The comments so far have seemed to be limited to "Big deal. And he spent $1000. And his server got /. ed".

    Think about it. He built an autonomous system that went almost to the edge of space, recorded images and temperature data, and came back. I can think of a bunch of simple, fun, experiments one could do. Cosmic rays, UV astronomy, ozone measurements, etc etc.

    If he flies that thing again, I'd like to help out.

    --
    Human genome = 3 billion base pairs = 6 GBit. Windows + Office = 20 Gbit. Which is more impressive?
    1. Re:Actually, this is kinda cool. by theCat · · Score: 4, Insightful

      It's more than a little cool. Just 20 years ago something this technically sophisticated would have sounded impossible. Heck 20 years ago it might have cost NASA $500K, taken 2 years to develop, had half the features, and suffered a systems failure 17 seconds after launch.

      We're jaded. We have no real sense of the size of things anymore. Rocket Guy is still talking about launching himself 30 miles straight up in a home-made rocket. Let's hope he does and he survives. But I'll predict now that the day after the event everyone here will shrug, bitch about his web server being /.ed, and say "it's been done before."

      --
      =^..^= all your rodent are belong to us
  4. It�s not just the project� by 6 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sure it's a cool geeky project and the pics and all are wonderful.

    The impressive thing though is the way he has written it up and presented it in a clear concise readable style. An example to geeks everywhere that there is more to a project than just the tech. Equally important is being able to present the results of your creativity to others, both geek and mundane, in such a way that captures their imaginations and allows you to bring them into the excitement of your world.