Australian Student Balloon Rises 100,000 Feet, With a Digital Camera

hype7 writes "An Australian student at Deakin University had a fascinating idea for a final project — to send a balloon up 100,000ft (~30,000 metres) into the stratosphere with a digital camera attached. The university was supportive, and the project took shape. Although there were some serious hitches along the way, the project was successful, and he managed to retrieve the balloon — with the pictures. What's really amazing is that the total cost was so low; the most expensive part was buying the helium gas for approximately AUD$250 (~USD$200)."

Comments

Altitude

[White Flame]

See, you can get a lot higher up without a kid inside.

Re:Altitude

[courteaudotbiz]

But you get fewer press coverage without the kid...

Re:Altitude

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

I know what I'm putting my 6 yr old inside for his last science fair...

Re:Altitude

[Clockwork Apple]

They got the press coverage without the kid. The "schrodingers kid" was only a "potential child" in the balloon.

Re:Altitude

[JWSmythe]

Google is your friend, and can help you find the answer. Ok, maybe not a specific answer, but pretty damned close. :)

    I suggest 10 24' diameter balloons, with breakaway tethers should one pop (no need to carry the extra weight of a dead balloon). If that can launch a compact car into LEO, it should be able to take a 6 year old high enough where you won't have to hear him scream. Well, at least until hypoxia kicks in, then it doesn't matter.

    Make sure you strap a camera to him, a little something like the Blair Witch Project, except in the daylight, with the only backdrop being the sky. Well, you may have the incidental aircraft in the background. I think a 6 year old and 10 24' balloons may ruin a perfectly good flight. What exactly put that Airbus A320 down in the Hudson? I think the whole bird thing was just a conspiracy to cover up the fact that it was a flock of school kids tethered to weather balloons with cameras strapped to their asses. Oh, imagine the bad press when you have to admit that your A320 just ingested a flock of school children in the engines. Oh, and the mess on the ground. I'd hate to be walking down the street just to get splattered by that. I thought it was nasty when PETA threw red paint on me for wearing a leather jacket? That would just be disgusting.

    And as a side note, based on those numbers, it would take about 80 24' diameter helium balloons to lift a 40' city bus. *THAT* would be something hilarious to see, but I'd hate to be under the landing zone. You know eventually they'll pop or leak. Some famous guy said "what comes up must come down", but I think he may have been full of shit. A flying 40' city bus could leave a little bit of a crater. I don't want to think of the logistics of filling the 80 balloons simultaneously though. That's a lot of helium. Just imagine if you got on the bus thinking "Oh, I'm just going to work", and then find that your bus is heading up towards 100,000 feet, and the driver keeps saying "Sir, please stay behind the white line." White line my ass, I'm on a flying bus!

    Maybe sometimes you shouldn't ask the questions, because they may be answered and then some. :)

Re:Altitude

[Sebilrazen]

That sentence is really disturbing if you jumble the words.

"some serious hitches along the way"

[Toonol]

I'd say. When the basket fell off, I was sure the boy was dead!

They should keep it fastened down a little better.

Re:Fuck Deakin

[Kozz]

Hey, man. Too bad you didn't get the opportunity. But I'm proud of you for not being bitter.

Re:Reported before

[schon]

Australian Student Balloon Rises 100,000 Feet, With a Digital Camera

they have been doing it at least since the 1950's

Umm, yeah, I'm gonna need a citation on that.