Low-tech beats high-tech again...

[lspencer534]

British teen Adam Cudworth, 19-year-old, decided to make his own spacecraft, one just big enough to house his camera, a GPS tracking device, a radio transmitter and a microprocessor in an insulated weather-protected box. His homemade spacecraft, attached to a large helium balloon, launched more than 20 miles into the sky and captured some incredible images and video for 2.5 hours.

The teen did it all on a budget of about $320, using only the knowledge he had acquired from his physics A-levels courses. Cudworth bought his camera, a Canon A570, for just under $50 on eBay over a year and a half ago. The project took him about 40 hours to complete in his spare time after school. His pictures are comparable to the images that NASA's team produces after having spent hundreds of millions of dollars on technologically advanced satellites.

19-Year-Old Captures Stunning Images of Earth from Space Using Homemade Spacecraft | Trending Now - Yahoo! News (http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/19-old-captures-stunning-images-earth-space-using-164924607.html)

[DAB]

yeah, but Nasa's go really fast and have a bitchin' fire ball out the ass end.

[Stangkiller]

That's cool, and it's "space" but it isn't an "orbit" which is what the shuttle and satellites are doing. Kind of like Space X's first flight wasn't anything close to what the shuttle does.

[Jobaka]

:cool1: :cool1: :cool1:



http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qHUghjTTEpVVsM1b.0wupw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NQ--/http://mit.zenfs.com/316/2012/09/Screen-Shot-2012-09-11-at-12.47.35-PM.png

[lspencer534]

:cool1: :cool1: :cool1:



http://l.yimg.com/bt/api/res/1.2/qHUghjTTEpVVsM1b.0wupw--/YXBwaWQ9eW5ld3M7cT04NQ--/http://mit.zenfs.com/316/2012/09/Screen-Shot-2012-09-11-at-12.47.35-PM.png

I think that's pretty damned amazing. Hats off to the kid! :seasix:

[NeedSpeed]

I can't believe it landed somewhere he could actually retrieve it from.

:cool:

[lspencer534]

I can't believe it landed somewhere he could actually retrieve it from.

:cool:

I wondered about that, since Earth is 3/4 oceans. Wonder how he did it. Luck?

[The_Dude]

Didn't a Lego man do this a couple of months ago?

[lspencer534]

Didn't a Lego man do this a couple of months ago?

Dunno. Link?

[NeedSpeed]

Maybe not too original

File:Shot from High Altitude Ballon with Lake Michigan.JPG - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Shot_from_High_Altitude_Ballon_with_Lake_Michigan.JPG)

[The_Dude]

Lego Man in Space - YouTube

[The_Dude]

Utah did it too.
Weather balloon launch succesful! - Corvette Forum (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-topic/3030537-weather-balloon-launch-succesful.html)

[Bill]

Shuttles just sit around. I think they can make something to do that (in Houston even). :D :leaving:

The shuttle that is going to California is going to layover at Ellington here in Houston this week. If you haven't seen one up close, this will be your best chance to see one locally. But sure, it should go to California, because of California's deep affiliation with the shuttle program. :issues:

[BADRACR1]

Pretty coo, especially for the money invested!:seasix:

[Stangkiller]

The shuttle that is going to California is going to layover at Ellington here in Houston this week. If you haven't seen one up close, this will be your best chance to see one locally. But sure, it should go to California, because of California's deep affiliation with the shuttle program. :issues:

Fuk them that should be ours.

[BuckyThreadkiller]

You guys don't go over to that big rocket park on NASA Road? You got enough goodies.

Beisdes there's a whole interior mockup inside the JSC visitor's center.

[Uncle Meat]

This is nothing new. Students have been doing this exact experiment for a couple years now....

UM.

[joecaver]

it's been done a few times but it still very cool.

[island14]

Utah did it too.
Weather balloon launch succesful! - Corvette Forum (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/off-topic/3030537-weather-balloon-launch-succesful.html)

Thanks for the link, pretty cool actually.. :seasix:

Here's some screen shots..

Impatient bastages..


Right after takeoff. I know, I know. next time, trim the styrofoam.. :leaving:
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/utah997/balloonlaunch1.png

About 1 hour in..

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/utah997/balloonlaunch2.png

These pics are both toward the three hour mark..

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/utah997/balloonlaunch4.png

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y51/utah997/balloonlaunch3.png

[jaxgator]

That's cool, and it's "space" but it isn't an "orbit" which is what the shuttle and satellites are doing. Kind of like Space X's first flight wasn't anything close to what the shuttle does.

20 miles is not quite "space" either.

Boundary

There is no clear boundary between Earth's atmosphere and space, as the density of the atmosphere gradually decreases as the altitude increases. There are several standard boundary designations, namely:


The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale has established the Kármán line at an altitude of 100 km (62 mi) as a working definition for the boundary between aeronautics and astronautics. This is used because at an altitude of roughly 100 km (62 mi), as Theodore von Kármán calculated, a vehicle would have to travel faster than orbital velocity in order to derive sufficient aerodynamic lift from the atmosphere to support itself.[52]
The United States designates people who travel above an altitude of 50 miles (80 km) as astronauts.[53]
NASA's mission control uses 76 mi (122 km) as their re-entry altitude (termed the Entry Interface), which roughly marks the boundary where atmospheric drag becomes noticeable (depending on the ballistic coefficient of the vehicle), thus leading shuttles to switch from steering with thrusters to maneuvering with air surfaces.[54]


Outer space - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outer_space#Boundary)