DIY Father and Son project sends digital camera's into Near Space

Father and son team try to send helium balloon to 107,000-feet, captures California Coast

YORBA LINDA, Calif., Nov. 3, 2011 -- On October 8th, 2011, A Father and Son team from Yorba Linda, California, inspired by the Citibank Reward commercial showing friends launch a weather balloon into near space, successfully launched and recovered their balloon project which captured images of the California coast from 107,000 feet.

"My son is interested in learning more about computer science and physics, and after watching the Citibank commercial we wanted to know if we could do the same. We found there is a growing number of near space hobbyist who have documented their flights and were really helpful in sharing their information. It took us about 3 months of planning, assembling and testing before our first launch" Ken recalls (the father in this duo). 

 

The team used parts and materials found around the house and on the internet to assemble their space craft. The small payload, weighing less than 3 pounds, consisted of an old Canon digital camera which was programmed to take pictures every 15 seconds, an iPhone using a GPS tracking application, a handheld satellite SPOT GPS, a GoPro HD camera, and hand warmers to keep the electronics warm.

Their first flight, launched from the California high desert, was so successful they set out for a second flight.

"Our second attempt was ambitious. The plan was a 2 hour flight, launched pre-dawn, in an attempt to capture the sunrise, and then land in Murrieta valley (30 miles from launch). Things don't always go according to plan." Ken recalls. 

Josh explains. "We had a bad reading from our digital scale and under filled the balloon with too little helium. This caused our ascent rate to be much slower and the flight path to change drastically. We watched in horror from our command center (our local Starbucks) as the craft slowly flew out over the Pacific Ocean!" 

Luckily for the team, it finally landed in El Cajon, more than 100 miles away from their original launch site. 

"We have learned so much after only two flights. The images we have captured so far have been amazing!" Josh exclaims. 

The team is planning on another launch before the end of the year.

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