MIT student takes near space photos on $150 budget

***tony hipchest*** · 09-16-2009, 10:49 AM

holy cow! this kid is on some MacGyver shit.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/htm...alloon16m.html

Quote:

Bellevue grad, MIT student uses helium balloon to capture near-space photosOliver Yeh hopes his low-budget experiment in near-space photography will inspire other students. But the Federal Aviation Administration says future flights need a check-in with the FAA.

When he launched a cheap digital camera into the stratosphere with a weather balloon, a styrofoam cooler and disposable hand warmers, former Bellevue student Oliver Yeh hoped his low-budget experiment in near-space photography would inspire other students to do the same.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology student, and 2006 graduate of Bellevue's Newport High, got some stunning photos of the Earth from an estimated 93,000 feet — about 17.5 miles high, far above the cruising altitude of commercial airplanes.

But was it legal?

heres his site with the kick ass pics. cool thing is, hes gonna post a step by step guide for free so we can do it too-

Project Icarus

http://space.1337arts.com/flight

vasteeler · 09-16-2009, 10:54 AM

wow that is very cool

lamberts-lost-tooth · 09-16-2009, 11:21 AM

Quote:

But the Federal Aviation Administration says future flights need a check-in with the FAA.

...according to the article, it looks like the MIT kids had to remind the FAA that THEIR regulations state only balloons with payloads over 4 lbs have to registered for flight.

***MACH1*** · 09-16-2009, 12:11 PM

That is cool!

That's a long ass string to hold on to.

I wonder how far away it was when it landed.

xfl2001fan · 09-16-2009, 01:03 PM

Good find Tony! Love seeing this kind of stuff!

09-16-2009, 10:54 AM	#2
vasteeler Head Coach Join Date: Oct 2006 Posts: 1,717 Member Number: 3341 Thanks: 50 Thanked 101 Times in 57 Posts	Re: MIT student takes near space photos on $150 budget wow that is very cool

09-16-2009, 12:11 PM	#4
*MACH1* Quest For Seven Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Idaho Posts: 11,695 Member Number: 3236 Thanks: 150 Thanked 222 Times in 143 Posts	Re: MIT student takes near space photos on $150 budget That is cool! That's a long ass string to hold on to. I wonder how far away it was when it landed. __________________ Give a lib a fish--he eats for a day Teach a lib to fish--he is back the next day asking for more free fish. ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ

09-16-2009, 01:03 PM	#5
xfl2001fan Living Legend Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Columbus OH Posts: 3,641 Gender: Male Member Number: 8741 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Re: MIT student takes near space photos on $150 budget Good find Tony! Love seeing this kind of stuff! __________________ If you take the "U" out of "STUD", you get STD. I'm just saying.

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