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Video from high altitude balloon — Parallax Forums

Video from high altitude balloon

LevLev Posts: 182
edited 2013-10-26 12:57 in General Discussion
We recently completed two high altitude balloon flights. Both were "Propeller Powered" with lots of Parallax sensors. The payload was autonomously separated from the balloon after it drifted outside of our defined "mission box" (to avoid landing in the Atlantic, airports, and urban areas). One of our students edited the flight video and added a soundtrack - it is beautiful to watch. You can see it at this link:

http://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2013/07/ProjectSMART

Comments

  • W9GFOW9GFO Posts: 4,010
    edited 2013-08-05 20:19
    Nice! Glad to see others forgoing the parachutes for their "reentry" capsules.
  • ElectricAyeElectricAye Posts: 4,561
    edited 2013-08-05 20:28
    Excellent! Thanks for posting this.
  • jonesjones Posts: 281
    edited 2013-08-05 20:54
    Very impressive, and I love the "aeroshells". Kudos to the students for a great project!
  • David BetzDavid Betz Posts: 14,516
    edited 2013-08-06 18:49
    Lev wrote: »
    We recently completed two high altitude balloon flights. Both were "Propeller Powered" with lots of Parallax sensors. The payload was autonomously separated from the balloon after it drifted outside of our defined "mission box" (to avoid landing in the Atlantic, airports, and urban areas). One of our students edited the flight video and added a soundtrack - it is beautiful to watch. You can see it at this link:

    http://www.unh.edu/unhtoday/2013/07/ProjectSMART

    Great project! Thanks for posting the video. And this happened in my backyard. I'm in Bedford, NH.
  • LevLev Posts: 182
    edited 2013-08-06 18:55
    jones wrote: »
    Very impressive, and I love the "aeroshells". Kudos to the students for a great project!

    Thanks. A group of students at Timberlane HS and Coe Brown Northwood Academy designed and tested that shape. They did drag testing and calculated and experimentally verified the terminal velocity. Good stuff. It is made out of foam board and iron-on monocote.
  • LevLev Posts: 182
    edited 2013-08-06 18:56
    David Betz wrote: »
    Great project! Thanks for posting the video. And this happened in my backyard. I'm in Bedford, NH.

    Hi David! I teach physics at Londonderry HS, a stones throw from Bedford.
  • David BetzDavid Betz Posts: 14,516
    edited 2013-08-06 18:58
    Lev wrote: »
    Hi David! I teach physics at Londonderry HS, a stones throw from Bedford.
    Very cool! Maybe we can start a NH Propeller group! :-)
  • LevLev Posts: 182
    edited 2013-08-06 19:06
    David Betz wrote: »
    Very cool! Maybe we can start a NH Propeller group! :-)

    I would love to do that. If you like, send me a PM and we can brainstorm the idea.
  • John BoardJohn Board Posts: 371
    edited 2013-08-08 04:43
    Good job!

    I've always been fascinated by launching balloons with cameras on them... Came up with the idea when I was 8, but everyone laughed at my idea - until a few companies and schools went mainstream with the idea, and now everyone can do it - never got the chance myself to do it. One day I'll launch one myself, and fulfill my childhood dream :)

    I recon with a bit of clever engineering you could use a balloon or array of balloons like the ones used in the videos to get up to 100km [EDIT] (or whatever the balloons are rated for), and then launch a hobby rocket with the payload on it, from the balloon platform, to get into space, to get even higher... Perhaps with powerful enough rocket, even into space. This saves you having to launch a massive rocket from the ground.

    Cool stuff anyway!

    -John
  • banjobanjo Posts: 447
    edited 2013-08-08 10:55
    hmm, 100 m should not be a problem. 100 km on the other hand might be... Sorry, could not resist :-)
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2013-08-08 14:26
    Wow, what a fascinating project! I love the juxtaposition - a view of outer space as seen through a hole punched in a piece of Styrfoam! I can almost imagine I'm a bug-sized astronaut going along for the ride.

    Lucky students to have such great teachers!
  • Maxx WattMaxx Watt Posts: 16
    edited 2013-10-26 12:57
    I just recently decided as I watched my keychain camera float away on my daughters B-Day balloon that a HAB is going to be my next big project with the kids, even though my daughter was crying and my son repeatedly told me it was a bad idea & he knew the string would break (he was right) they were both fascinated watching it float away for about 15mins. To the OP did you find any helpful websites or books related to this subject? I've been doing quite a bit of research the last few days and it seems to be a bit fragmented, one site I found mentioned parallax had a book but I can seem to find it.
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