Slashdot Mirror
High School Student Launches a Trash Bag Aircraft
An anonymous reader writes with a great write-up of a project completed last month by Manuja Gunaratne: "A high school student at Advanced Technologies Academy in Las Vegas, Nevada managed to launch an aircraft using trash bags. The trash bag aircraft traveled for hundreds of miles and rose to thousands of feet while capturing thousands of images of the Earth. The trash bag craft consisted of household equipment and only cost $50."
More helium stocks depleted!
if the wind had carried it slightly farther west, it would have ended up over the Nellis Air Force Range which contains the Nevada Test Site, Area 51 and other fun stuff the Air Force probably probably doesn't want you taking pictures of.
Nice job. FAA letter on the way and your education will now be complete. You may learn about high speed collisions and hazards to air navigation. I know it was probably day VFR, but controlled airspace is 1400 AGL (except in the mountains). Part of doing this correctly is to play by the rules and there are a lot of them.
Seems every geek modeler with enough sense to build a UAV ought to be wise enough not to endanger the flying public.
As long as they weren't in a restricted zone near an airport, I don't think this balloon and it's 1.6 lb payload violated any FAA regulations:
http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=ea968eea871ed9ab2380f6d979eaa7a6&rgn=div5&view=text&node=14:2.0.1.3.15&idno=14
Except as provided for in 101.7, any unmanned free balloon that—
(i) Carries a payload package that weighs more than four pounds and has a weight/size ratio of more than three ounces per square inch on any surface of the package, determined by dividing the total weight in ounces of the payload package by the area in square inches of its smallest surface;
(ii) Carries a payload package that weighs more than six pounds;
(iii) Carries a payload, of two or more packages, that weighs more than 12 pounds; or
(iv) Uses a rope or other device for suspension of the payload that requires an impact force of more than 50 pounds to separate the suspended payload from the balloon.
(b) For the purposes of this part, a gyroglider attached to a vehicle on the surface of the earth is considered to be a kite.
Arizona: Two people are being detained by the Department of Homeland Security after being found with suspicious surveillance equipment that they had recovered from the Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge. The pair were tracked to their home by DHS working in conjunction with local and state police. The FBI executed search warrants at two locations - the suspects' home and an unnamed local welding shop, where they found all the ingredients necessary for constructing Unmanned Reconnaissance Vehicles, as well as quantities of highly compressed gas - helium - which also powers thermonuclear reactions.
The pair were found in possession of approximately 2,000 surveillance photos from their last sortie. Officials refused to comment on whether the arrests have any connection with either of two nearby military installations, Area 51 or the Nellis AFB Test Site at Groom Lake.
Additional quantities of liquid dihydrogen monoxide, a clear substance that is toxic when inhaled, were also recovered. No court date has yet been set.
Slashdot posts an article on some kid flying a balloon and gps and camera for 50 dollars, he's worked out to do it with a couple of people and a bit of research. Slashdot posters moan about how crap the balloon is. You are guys are the reason the USA is screwed in the long term - loads of people moaning when a 17 year old or so kid pushes himself and gets something like this happening? A better place would have praised the kid, I think it's great teenagers are trying to come up with technological hacks that are new to them and dreaming great goals.
A better audience, had it had any reservations, would offer kind and politely worded guidance to help him keeping creating but in a better and informed way. Instead - bitchy comments from a good number of people who are too scared to use a slashdot identity.
If you're a representative sample of how Americans respond to teenagers trying to push their technical knowledge, I reckon the USA is screwed... stamping on 17 year olds trying to be innovative and push themselves is no way to encourage your future generations. So he didn't achieve a PhD level of novel research? he didn't do something worthy of a Nobel prize? Who cares?! this might be the spark that gets him to those heights ten years down the line. He pushed himself, he wrote it up nicely, he was brave enough to publish to the world and allow comments. What were you doing when you were 17? he deserves encouragement, not scorn. Shame on you.
There is an infinitely better way. Buy the thinnest clear drop cloth plastic you can find. Fold it into a pillowcase shape. With a piece of fabric to insulate the plastic, melt the edges around all four sides with a clothes iron. Just melt it enough to make a seal. You have a perfect bag that will hold air much better than this painfully ugly trash bag aircraft. When combined with a balsa-wood cross at the open bottom and birthday candles, you have infinite teenage fun.
Even if that's the case, then by completing it, he's shown he deserves it. What's your point?
Space game using normal deck of cards: http://BattleCards.org