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Build Your Own Weather Balloon

Posted by michael on from the if-it's-wet,-it's-raining dept.

Leeji writes "Here is an interesting read about one geek's project to build and launch a weather balloon. The flight recorder is a small $200 Soekris Engineering computer running Bering Linux. It also uses a Garmin GPS, HAM packet radio, an automated Aiptek Pencam Trio digital camera, army surplus batteries, and lots of geek duct tape."

13 of 120 comments (clear)

  1. alert level: Orange by rnd() · · Score: 3, Funny

    This might not be the best idea during the Orange Alert.

    --

    Amazing magic tricks

    1. Re:alert level: Orange by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny
      This might not be the best idea during the Orange Alert.


      Yes, it would be better to wait until it is lowered to Banana.

  2. And fake your own alien coverups! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Just like the US Military!

  3. Just do it by Branc0 · · Score: 3, Funny

    And don't forguet to drop one in roswell...

    --

    rm -rf /home/leia

  4. One thing's for sure by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    Linux is on the rise.

    =)

  5. Does it prevent you from leaving The Village? by RMH101 · · Score: 2, Funny

    I want one that can stop Number 6 escaping by air, road or water in a bad-special-effects kind of way

  6. repost by pizza_milkshake · · Score: 3, Funny

    this is a repost. which begs the question, is a first post on a dupe article really a first post?

  7. Oh great- by kevcol · · Score: 5, Funny

    The photo gallery of the launch has close ups of the launch director's butt crack! Warning, please! Blech!

  8. Sure it is fun BUT! by Bender+Unit+22 · · Score: 3, Funny

    Correct me if I am wrong,
    I think it is just a bunch of hot air.

  9. Let me get this straight by arvindn · · Score: 2, Funny
    If there was something around the house that needed to be fixed or wasn't right (at least in my mind), I couldn't think about anything else except solving that problem. My father would sometimes call this a "wild hair." I guess you could say that building and launching a weather balloon became a wild hair of mine...

    So one day the weather wasn't right, and this guy decided to build and launch a weather balloon to fix it?

  10. Hmmm by PyroX_Pro · · Score: 3, Funny



    I hope this thing comes down close to my backyard, or maybe I could shoot it down. Thats some free hardware!

    Oh wait, gps, so he would know where it was when it disappeared...

    Seriously though, sounds like a pretty expensive wad of cash to just throw into the wind.

  11. Orange Alert! Orange Alert! by dexter+riley · · Score: 2, Funny

    No, Orange Alert is the best time to send up a weather balloon.

    P.S. If I hear that George W. has hired a mute midget butler, I'm moving to Canada.

  12. Obviously faked... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    This site is a hoax! I mean really, an unemployed slashdot reader who can spend $1000 on a computer to send up in a balloon? And his girlfriend lets him?
    Girlfriend? yeah, right.