Man Sends Camera Into Space For Cool Photos
A British space enthusiast has released photographs that he took from 22 miles above the Earth's surface.
Robert Harrison began investigating high-altitude weather balloons after attempting to take aerial photos of his house with a remote control helicopter. However, Harrison soon realized that a high-altitude balloon could reach much higher altitudes, allowing him to take pictures of much more than just his house.
Mr. Harrison's family was skeptical about his idea to take pictures of the Earth from space but the Daily Mail reports he launched his first mini spacecraft, named Icarus I, in October 2008. Any doubts his family and friends had were soon stifled and Harrison has launched a dozen capsules over the last two years.
"The pictures speak for themselves. People think this is something that costs millions but it doesn't," Harrison told the Daily Mail.
With a £500 budget (roughly $750), Harrison's contraption incorporates GPS technology; a radio transmitter a regular, point-and-shoot digital camera and a parachute to guide the camera back to Earth. The whole thing is wrapped in insulating material and housed in a polystyrene box. The camera is programmed to take photos every five minutes and when the box hits 22 miles, the balloon pops and the parachute automatically deploys. Mr Harrison uses the GPS to track the device's movement and then, once it lands, the radio transmitter to locate it. He has recovered the device from up to 50 miles away.
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damn thats cheap!
What an awesome hobby.
respect! nobody is against him now~
This is what NASA will be reduced to if the current administration has their way with the budget.
But definite kudos to this guy for taking the initiative to build his own psuedo spacecraft. I admire people who can do incredible things on low budget using elbow grease and their own ingenuity.
Tony Stark: How did you solve the icing problem?
Ok I have to admit. I thought that this was going to be a rich dude who spent a ton of money.... That is freaking awesome.
Next thing he should put a puppy in it. Belka and strelka.
Soon the Earth's atmosphere would be filled with high-altitude balloon. Everyone with a digi cam could try one of this trick.
That's the same budget that NASA will have thanks to Obama.
Luckily for us they come back down to earth instead of floating around like space junk...
I'm going to have to try this some time.
NASA can do the same thing for $75...
Million.
I think I'm going to take up a new hobby. That's amazing.
Eh... why do people have to be negative. Great photo's. Doing this would freak me out. For some reason I get nervous when "I" put something high up in the air, worried if it's gonna hit someone... like a kite, when it comes down. Guess that's a phobia of mine.
If you try this at home, don't forget to consult the FAA or other local airspace agency.
How dare he NOT post it up on Instructables
(I looked, couldn't find it). Anyways, kudos to him. I wonder what controller he used, by the looks of it I'm guessing an Arduino?
It certainly is an interesting hobby. Sounds like a lot of fun.
All he needs to do now is to send a video camera up to record as much of the journey as possible.
What happens when the camera falls in the ocean?
750 dollas ist still alot for 1 try.
22 miles!!!
22 miles is no space! SATELLITES ARE THOUSANDS MILES HIGH!
Look at the pictures, the earth is barely curved. This is only twice as high as airplanes fly.
Michael Gray (KD7LMO), Randall Taylor (KC0NNT), and others had done it before... sadly, Mike had a fatal bike accident last year.
http://www.ansr.org/kd7lmo/www.kd7 [...] /ansr.html
http://www.ansr.org/kd7lmo/www.kd7 [...] otos2.html
Note: space (flight) implies leaving the atmosphere...
But what wouldn't some people do to stir up the interest with catchy titles...
Space is at least 100km (62mi) above the surface.
BTW, isn't Icarus the name of the satellite that Bond's villain sent up in Die Another Day?
All he needs to do now is to send a video camera up to record as much of the journey as possible.
now THAT would be cool
750 dollas ist still alot for 1 try.22 miles!!!22 miles is no space! SATELLITES ARE THOUSANDS MILES HIGH!Look at the pictures, the earth is barely curved. This is only twice as high as airplanes fly.
Only twice as high? I didn't know airplanes flew at 58,000 feet...
What do you do? "I make motion pictures.. space movies"
Well I think it absolute genius!!
BIG well done to this guy as it has taken some serious effort on his behalf.
I'm amazed he can recover it with such accuracy...landing within 50 miles of the launch site when it parachutes from 22 miles up is astounding! One would think temperature change and wind currents would cause it to simply float for an eternity. Back in the model rocket days, I was lucky to find ANYTHING I launched.
Only twice as high? I didn't know airplanes flew at 58,000 feet...
The commercial ones I fly are 35000 feet. Business planes go all the way up to 45000feet.
While 22 miles would be around 116000 ft, I am not stupid enough to write x2.5 and to make a point, I did not use commercial planes altitude.
For an object to be in space, it has to go above 62 miles high. To be more scientifically exact, it has to be 75 miles.
22 miles aint no space. Period.
These pictures were taken with wide angled lense. If you as a person find yourself being 22 miles high above surface, you will know that this is really not high compared to the pictures you see in the NEWS. I can see buildings clearly that are 10 miles away from a balcony.
THIS AINT HIGH
What's your point?
All he needs to do now is to send a video camera up to record as much of the journey as possible.
That's what im saying... Video camera, large SD card, record the whole trip in HD!
Not too many planes fly at a 58,000' ceiling hundert. The air is getting pretty thin at that point.
I've lost model rockets to power lines and high roof tops. I wonder if he has the same issues.
Amazing. Would have been nice if the writer at least told us where it was or what the pictures were of. Isn't the "where" still part of basic journalism? Pictures of and more specifics on his device would also have been nice.