47 Comments
- BlueLaser, on 10/12/2007, -0/+25"Producing more than 800 images..." none of which are available from this news story. This story would be better if it included a link to spy the shots that the camera took on its journey.
- juneof44, on 10/12/2007, -0/+21Here are some "select" pictures: http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~cuspaceflight/nova1selected/index.html
Via this story: http://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/pooled/articles/BF_NEWSART/view.asp?Q=BF_NEWSART_216089 - Elektriq, on 10/12/2007, -8/+21Get the hell outta my face!
- masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+10NASA doesn't do it because the average their payloads are a LOT heavier. For instance, the average Space Shuttle, ready for launch, is about 4.5 million pounds. That's 2250 tons. I can't even imagine the size of that balloon. Perhaps it's a bit more feasible for launching satellites, but I doubt it.
Though balloons like this would certainly be great tools for outer-atmospheric research experiments. - DiggidtyDog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6Don't you people watch Mythbusters? You know how much helium they used just to get 1 person off the ground?!
- ghm101, on 10/12/2007, -4/+10This is cool, I like their idea for the next experiment, use a balloon to get as high as possible then use a rocket to get to orbit. The balloon does much of the hard work so that the rocket can be much smaller.
If some students can do so much with so little, imagine what NASA could do if they spent some serious money on this concept.
Or does making great big expensive rockets line the pockets of too many powerful people?
(Isn't a ***** how you have to be cynical about everything these days?) - gaijintendo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5If you want to see pictures - take a look at this register story
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/09/18/nova_1/ - Palmer586, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Edit: seems I got beaten to it.
- masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I don't know if this is the same thing, but it was a similar project where some people put a camera on a balloon and sent it into the upper atmosphere.
Over 200+ photos:
http://www.pegasushabproject.org.uk/pegasus3.html - bobasaurus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4not as cool as the balloon pictures I took at work:
http://www.cmdl.noaa.gov/gallery/balloon_flight - zeptobyte, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Oh, the CLOSE edge of space.
- magicRob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The website for the project with links to photos, and even a KML for google earth
http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~cuspaceflight/nova1launch.html - elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+4A balloon can only take up a very small amount of weight. NASA generally needs to take up far more equiptment than a balloon can carry.
Aww, I was beaten... - airmann90, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I can see my house from there!
- LucasVB, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2This is awesome and the pictures are amazing!
Kudos to the guys, very inspiring work. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2again...................: http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~cuspaceflight/nova1selected/index.html
and ..... : http://www.srcf.ucam.org/~cuspaceflight/nova1selected/index.html - jasonslay, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2For the record, it can be done for much cheaper. The Amateur Radio Society at Tech (Texas Tech University) did something similar for under $200 easy.
- KMChina, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2I love the imagination shown here...
- kavau, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2Aww... upon reading the headline, I first thought they are talking about the *other* edge of space.
Now, that would have really been interesting! - juneof44, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Or a sardine for Flipper to snack on before choking on the balloon.
- CMGNEWS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1WOW - These guys ROCK!!
You got my Digg and you got my respect!!!
BTW - thanks for the Link to the Photos! NICE. - elnerdo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I could swear that I saw this on Digg a couple months ago.
- Falcorian, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Before anyone goes too off on NASA, they have used/supported ballons based experiments before, Boomerang for example: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOOMERanG_experiment
- timmyallen, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The flight lasted about three hours, producing more than 800 images
60 x 3 = 180
180 รท 800 = aprox. 4 photos a minute.
anyone know were we can find the photos, nothing on flickr :B - smb3d, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I believe most of the weight of the space shuttle is in fuel which it needs to get out of the atmosphere, which would be considerably less if lifted by a rocket first. That would still be one huge balloon though.
- Burritovision, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1i encourage you to examine www.midairport.blogspot.com for details on a space elevator!
- uownedge, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Very cool project. The pictures are awesome. I would love to get involved in something like this. Maybe see about doing a live video feed, or making an even stronger balloon that could go higher still. Lots of possibilities. :)
- nrecob, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1VERY cool. I wonder how they came up with the altitude readings? Some of the first ones where it was clearly on the ground the atitude displayed was 100 ft???
Still think it was cool and I wonder how they made some of the stuff work (text message that the payload had landed WITH the GPS coordinates?! COOL!) - DiggidtyDog, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Well,o.k. you if want to dangle in a 26 ft rocket from the worlds largest helium ballon and be shot into oblivon be my guess. I mean everything should be fine it is backed by Goldenpalace.com after all.
- repete, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I'm curious how they managed to get it back. Why didn't the thing float off to Gawd knows where?
- rbenech, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1The GoldenPalace.com Space Program (aka DaVinci project) planned to do exactly this. Launch a space vehicle from a high altitude helium filled balloon.
http://www.davinciproject.com/technical/flight.php - LordSkywalker, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Looks like Andy Dick.
- trepetsk, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0My friend did this taking video the whole way up, basically as far
- ollj, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0and instead of the images i see a lousy news article, thanks for the links above.
- StephenChow, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1What can you do when you live in a shoe and you ain't got no sole!
- headband, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0AFAIK all altimiters are based on sea level
- vgar, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Because at that altitude the Earth's gravity would still have a hold of the camera and bring it back down without it floating off into space.
Similar with orbiting shuttles. The Earth's gravity still has a hold on the shuttle. But the shuttle is travelling so fast that it manages to keep parallel with the curvature of the Earth meaning that it doesn't drop into a lower orbit. The shuttle is constantly falling but travelling at a speed to match the curvature so as it falls so to does the curvature of the Earth. This gives the effect of weightlessness for the astronauts inside the shuttle. Think of it as a constantly falling elevator where the occupants rise up off the floor of the elevator as it falls. - wonginator1221, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Most balloons eventually end up in the ocean. But you could always tie a self addressed envelope to one.
- nezek, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0:
I've been dreaming about doing something like this for a few years now. good job guys! im next (: - MSTK, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3I always wondered what happened to those ballons that I let float away as a kid. I always thought they collected in some galactic ceiling or something and eventually popped on galactic fire alarm sprinkler thingies.
But this is nice. It makes going into/accessing (somewhat) outer space seem simple. - Schug, on 10/12/2007, -9/+8I'm glad I can block people like you.
- tfeeley, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0How 'bout those top stories on the right: "Pigs boiled alive at Abattoir," and "Gang blamed for theft of manholes" ... How the hell do you steal a manhole? And boiling pigs alive? WTF??
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1Who gives a *****? Modified weather balloons have been reaching these heights for decades. Not to mention airplanes have been doing it for even longer. The thing only made it to 100,000 feet before it burst. Whoopdeedoo.
- ummagummas08, on 10/12/2007, -5/+2That's really badass, I completely agree, after I read it I was thinking 'Why dont we just attach a humongoid helium balloon to our rockets and do what they did? NASA is flippin retarded.
- someguy9, on 10/12/2007, -9/+4WHATS THE POINT?!?!? with out pictures its just a story, which I read in diggs title
- brstilson, on 10/12/2007, -16/+1*pod person scream from invasion of the body snatchers*
- stellakilla, on 10/12/2007, -145/+1hey please dig my story "do my homeowork..."


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