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DIY High-Altitude Ballooning

Posted by timothy on from the creative-photography dept.

The Ape With No Name writes "Ever wanted to see the black of space but just can't pay a cool 20 million to do so? Well, just build your own small-scale, high-altitude balloon like these guys out of styrofoam, duct tape, electrical kit and a 'consumer-grade' weather balloon. They reached an estimated 52000 feet, had all kinds of tech issues, including hacking code to fly the mission minutes before launch. Cool pics and video were taken throughout the mission. Next flight is in approximately 2 weeks with 100,000 feet the goal."

6 of 176 comments (clear)

  1. Cheaper by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Funny

    Ever wanted to see the black of space but just can't pay a cool 20 million to do so? Well, just build your own small-scale, high-altitude balloon like these guys out of styrofoam, duct tape, electrical kit

    or alternatively, stick two pieces of aforementioned duct tape over your eyelids and experience the black of space right here at home.

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  2. DUHH!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    >Ever wanted to see the black of space
    >but just can't pay a cool 20 million to do so?

    Yeah - just wait for the sunset.

  3. my god its a UFO! by Prophetic_Truth · · Score: 3, Funny

    no...wait a second...that's some nerd's weather baloon..Regardless, alert the FAA!

    --
    time is a perception of a being's consciousness
    time is your 6th sense, the wierd ones are 7+
  4. Re:Movie Mirrors by Ninwa · · Score: 4, Funny

    Sorry, I must admitt that I partially did that to stress test my server... and it failed. :( It's seeing much blackness at the moment.

  5. [Evil laugh] by og_sh0x · · Score: 3, Funny

    Aha! This is just what I need to conduct my clandestine terrorist operations! I mean, forget model rockets! Those were so last month!

  6. Re:... pretty neat ... by DJCF · · Score: 4, Funny
    There's a story about the military pilot calling for a priority landing because his single-engine jet fighter was running "a bit peaked." Air Traffic Control told the fighter jock that he was number two behind a B-52 that had one engine shut down.

    "Ah," the pilot remarked, "the dreaded seven-engine approach."