Collaborate Disseminate
At any vaguely-related conferences, groups of hackers sometimes come together to create an impact, and sometimes that impact is swinging something into an airspace of a neighboring country. [deadprogram] tells …read more Continue reading FOSDEM Sees Surprise Pico Balloon Event
When the US Air Force shot down some suspected Chinese spy balloons a couple of weeks ago, it was widely reported that one of the targets might have been a …read more Continue reading Answering Some Pico Balloon Questions
For years, Microsoft’s modus operandi was summed up succinctly as, “Extend and enhance.” The aphorism covered a lot of ground, but basically it seemed to mean being on the lookout …read more Continue reading Hackaday Links: February 19, 2023
Every week the Hackaday editors gather online to discuss the tech stories of the moment, and among the topics this week was the balloons shot down over North America that …read more Continue reading The USAF (Almost) Declares War on Illinois Radio Amateurs
Well, this week’s Links article is likely to prove a bit on the spicy side, thanks in no small part to the Chinese balloon that spent the better part of …read more Continue reading Hackaday Links: February 5, 2023
Most uses of high-altitude balloons are fairly simple: send balloon up, have it beam down measurements and images. While this is indeed straightforward, it is also very limiting. This is …read more Continue reading Uplink System For High-Altitude Balloons
A cutdown in high-altitude balloon (HAB) parlance refers to detaching a payload, and can refer to the act of severing a line or to the mechanism itself. How is this …read more Continue reading Archery Release Becomes Reusable Balloon Cutdown Mechanism
[Dave Akerman]’s ongoing high altitude balloon (HAB) work is outstanding, and we’re all enriched by the fact that he documents his work like he does. Recently, [Dave] wrote about his balloon tracker based on the Raspberry Pi Pico, whose capabilities …read more
Continue reading High-Altitude Balloon Tracker Does Landing Prediction with Pi Pico
High Altitude Balloons (HAB) are a great way to get all kinds of data and shoot great photos and video, but what goes up must come down. Once the equipment has landed, one must track it down. GPS and LoRA, with its long wireless range and ease of use, are …read more
Continue reading Custom Firmware Makes a LoRA-Enabled HAB Tracker Watch
There’s something compelling about high-altitude ballooning. For not very much money, you can release a helium-filled bag and let it carry a small payload aloft, and with any luck graze the edge of space. But once you retrieve your payload package – if you ever do – and look at the pretty pictures, you’ll probably be looking for the next challenge. In that case, adding a little science with this high-altitude muon detector might be a good mission for your next flight.
[Jeremy and Jason Cope] took their inspiration for their HAB mission from our coverage of a cheap muon …read more
Continue reading Cheap Muon Detectors Go Aloft on High-Altitude Balloon Mission