Collaborate Disseminate
A key challenge for any system headed up into the upper-atmosphere region sometimes called near space is communicating back down to the ground. The sensors and cameras onboard many high altitude balloons and satellites aren’t useful if the data they collect can’t be retrieved. Often times, custom antennas or beacons …read more
An internet-beaming balloon has broken a flight record, staying aloft in the stratosphere for 312 days straight. Developed and launched by Loon, the balloon circumnavigated the globe over the Southern Hemisphere for 10 months, demonstrating the resilie… Continue reading Internet balloon spends record-breaking 312 days in the stratosphere
Tech history is rife with examples of bizarre product demos, but we’ve got to think that Elon Musk’s Neuralink demo this week will have to rank up there with the weirdest of them. Elon’s job here was to sell the proposition that having a quarter-sized plug removed from your skull …read more
Balloons may seem like an outdated mode of transportation, but for high-flying scientific instruments they’re making a comeback. NASA has unveiled ASTHROS, a new infrared telescope that will be carried to the edge of space by a balloon the size of a fo… Continue reading Stadium-sized balloon to carry NASA telescope to the edge of space
By turning to the paper-based art form of kirigami for inspiration, a team of Harvard researchers has developed a system for programmable balloons that can take on all kinds of “crazy” shapes when inflated. More than just a vehicle to produce impressiv… Continue reading Harvard’s programmable kirigami balloons inflate into “crazy” shapes
In recent years, people have used balloons to carry items ranging from teddy bears to chicken sandwiches to the edge of outer space. Now, Cape Canaveral, Florida-based startup Space Perspective has announced its plans to do the same thing with paying h… Continue reading Florida startup plans balloon rides to the edge of space
Join us on Wednesday at noon Pacific time for the high-altitude ballooning Hack Chat!
The Cope brothers are our hosts this week. Jeremy, a computer engineer, and Jason, a mechanical engineer, have recently caught the high-altitude ballooning (HAB) bug. In their initial flights they’ve racked up some successes and pushed the edge of space with interesting and varied missions. Their first flight just barely missed the 100,000 foot (30,000 meter) mark and carried a simple payload package of cameras and GPS instruments and allowed them to reach their goal of photographing the Earth’s curvature.
Flight 2 had a similar payload …read more
Writing this in the frigid darkness of a Northern Hemisphere January evening, I have to admit to more than a little envy of Samy Kamkar and his friends. One of their summer events is a private party at a secluded campground somewhere that looks quite warm, which from here seems mighty attractive.
Samy wanted to provide a spectacle for his friends. What he came up with is glowing orbs; LED balloons that would float above the campsite and wow his friends with their pretty synchronised illumination. Thus an adventure in wireless communications, lighter-than-air flammable gasses versus electronics weight calculations, and …read more
We always think that crossing the Atlantic in a blimp would be very serene — at least once they put heaters on board. The Hindenburg, the R-101, and the Shenandoah put an end to the age of the airship, at least for commercial passenger travel. But you can still fly your own with a helium balloon and some electronics. One notable project — the Blimpduino — has evolved into the Blimpduino 2. The open-source software is on GitHub. We couldn’t find the PCB layout, so we aren’t sure if it is or will be open. The 3D printed parts are …read more
NASA’s PMC Turbo mission captured new views of polar mesospheric clouds from a five-day balloon flight over the Arctic. Continue reading These Electric Blue Clouds Are Made from Ice Crystals and Meteor Debris