Space On a Shoestring

An anonymous reader writes, "Three engineering students from Cambridge University plan to send an unmanned craft into space for £1,000 ($1,880) and have just sent a test mission up 32 km for a lot less. Their snaps from the upper atmosphere are impressive, and were taken by a balloon equipped with off-the-shelf technology including GSM text messaging, radio communications, and an ordinary 5-megapixel camera. They now plan to use a similar craft as a launching stage to get a cheap rocket into space." There's also a video of the balloon launch.

Comments

Moo

[Chacham]

Picture this, soon their balooning costs will skyrocket to reach even greater heights.

Re:Moo

[gfody]

that direct link to a 56mb file (for 17 seconds of footage!) will be the most expensive part of the project

Re:Moo

[Anonymous Coward]

A bit of a bugger if the number in question triggers the detonator.

Re:Moo

[another_henry]

Someone did have the hilarious idea of putting a bike helmet on the bottom, open side downwards.

Re: GSM text messaging

[brandonY]

I'm sure the phones will work at more or less any height - the higher the better.

Not to be a sarcastic, literal-taking idiot, but I bet if I were, say, 0.5 AU high, my phone wouldn't work. Heck, I bet the lousy thing wouldn't even work from the moon's surface, especially if I was in a tunnel.

Re: GSM text messaging while flying

[Gordonjcp]

When I tried it from a motor glider in a fairly remote area (few cells, large areas) I got a snotty letter from Orange saying that roaming at 50kts between very non-adjacent cells made their network shit itself. I wish I'd kept the letter...

Re:Very cool hobby...

[emamousette]

Slashdot readers are an endangered species?

Re: GSM text messaging

[AsnFkr]

Well, to be fair Flight 93 was pretty close to the ground compared to your average flight.