Launched a Canon A540 on a weather balloon!!!

[codykodes]

Hello,

Wasn't sure who this would interest, but I launched a weather balloon with a digital camera payload attached on September 5th, which was lost when the GPS device failed, then recovered by a farmer on Sept 21st, who then contacted me so I could retrieve it! The pictures are great, and just wanted to share my story. I am an aspiring engineer student who hopes to attend U Texas at Dallas in 2011. Website: www.aerialparade.com.

Thank you for your time,

Cody Morris

 

[WTF?]

those are pretty cool, what was the total cost of the rig you had set up? and what was your method of triggering the photos? just a timer?
any setup shots or anything?

nice work

 

[icassell]

Very nice Cody! I'm glad you were able to recover your craft and see your images. I wonder if you could figure out some way to make a stabilizer for the camera.

 

[LaFoto]

This is interesting, and certainly a kind of photography we haven't seen here on TPF before!
Yes, my question actually repeats what WTF asked: how did you trigger these?

Isn't the atmosphere, which is what keeps us all alive down here, a thin and fragile looking thing?

 

[codykodes]

those are pretty cool, what was the total cost of the rig you had set up? and what was your method of triggering the photos? just a timer?
any setup shots or anything?

nice work

Total cost around $325, with a third of that being helium!

Canon reprogrammed with CHDK on SD card, using BASIC script called Ultra Intervalometer, took shots every 10 seconds until card was full. 1900 images in all.

Camera was mounted into styrofoam with a hole for the lens to come through, as to insulate the camera from near -50 degree F temps.

No way to really stabilize camera, but we will work on stabilizing the payload with a better rig of rope next time to prevent spinning and swaying in the wind.

 

[codykodes]

 

[edouble]

Excellent project ! This is very inspiring and I am happy that you achieved good results! 86,000 feet is an extraordinary height that is difficult for me to fathom. I loved you sideshow on youtube, I wish you had a cloudless day! Hopefully next time....

Did any of the 5-6 planes take pictures of your balloon from the plane?




I want to add the a GoPro HD video camera would be an excellent camera for the next launch!!!!!!!!!!! You could take HD video with it and capture hi-res still images from the video!!!

 

[Amocholes]

That is really cool!:thumbup:

 

[codykodes]

Excellent project ! This is very inspiring and I am happy that you achieved good results! 86,000 feet is an extraordinary height that is difficult for me to fathom. I loved you sideshow on youtube, I wish you had a cloudless day! Hopefully next time....

Did any of the 5-6 planes take pictures of your balloon from the plane?




I want to add the a GoPro HD video camera would be an excellent camera for the next launch!!!!!!!!!!! You could take HD video with it and capture hi-res still images from the video!!!

I could probably contact the local airfield and see if anyone knew about who it was... not sure if they did or not. I have a couple of cameras we are looking at putting up, including a Canon HF series HD or along those lines for a camcorder.

I will also be purchasing another low cost Canon digital, anything cheap will work, and SLR would be nice

 

[mar1u5]

Extremely cool, and great images! Hope to see more attempts at this.

 

[Kyle Hunter]

Excellent!

 

[Loscocco]

Wow.. amazing and very inspiring!!!

Do you know the height that the photos were taken at or that the balloon reached?

 

[codykodes]

Wow.. amazing and very inspiring!!!

Do you know the height that the photos were taken at or that the balloon reached?

89,000 feet is estimated peak, just short of 17 miles up, upper-mid parts of our Stratosphere.

You can see more pictures and additional facts and info at Welcome to the site of Aerial Parade

 

[Derrel]

Nice job! Not too many people have such photos in their portfolios.

 

[Bram]

THIS IS SOOOOO COOL!!!!