Russian amateurs take a picture of a meteor from a stratospheric balloon

[SiberianTiger]

Here's one:

A US Army weather balloon, bought at e-Bay, a bottle of helium, a couple of cameras in an insulated box, a GPS receiver and GSM transmitter of position, and here we are.

A chart of the Leonids peak intensity is prepared to determine the best time for the launch.

Search for the landing site:

In-flight pictures:

THE frame (the meteor is at the left part):

Upper graph is altitude of flight, middle is temperature in the box, lower is the temperature outside:

Projection of the flight trajectory on Google Earth:

This is claimed to be the first time a falling meteor is filmed from an amateur balloon.

Also, they've done a record altitude flight to 25 km last April:

"Comrade Cosmonaut" has made it up and back:

Homepage: http://netwind.ru

 

[Jarvitä]

Good timing and some luck. Still, beautiful photos.

I have to wonder though, at this point, is buying a $20 balloon, filling it with helium, strapping a camera and GPS receiver underneath and letting go really still that impressive?

 

[Codz]

Always love those balloon videos.:thumbup:

 

[mojoey]

Good timing and some luck. Still, beautiful photos.

I have to wonder though, at this point, is buying a $20 balloon, filling it with helium, strapping a camera and GPS receiver underneath and letting go really still that impressive?

its the closest thing the US has to spaceflight right now

 

[Codz]

its the closest thing the US has to spaceflight right now

Yeah, if you forget about Dawn, Juno, MSL, GRAIL, ISS, Hubble, Messenger, Cassini, etc...

 

[Ghostrider]

I have to wonder though, at this point, is buying a $20 balloon, filling it with helium, strapping a camera and GPS receiver underneath and letting go really still that impressive?

Anything is pretty much impressive when compared to not doing it... Anyway, their initiative and ingenuity is. The results are also great.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Good timing and some luck. Still, beautiful photos.

I have to wonder though, at this point, is buying a $20 balloon, filling it with helium, strapping a camera and GPS receiver underneath and letting go really still that impressive?

Nevertheless, nobody else in Russia does the same thing. Only them.

 

[Unstung]

The images posted up until the graph are broken on my end. They're not image files and testing the links don't work for me, unfortunately.

 

[Aeadar]

Probably it's just my end of the workweek denseness, but I've watched this video five times now and I don't see a meteor. I see the countdown end in what I assumed to be a triggered bursting of the balloon to begin the descent, but I see no meteor.

:huh:

I also get no images before the graph.

 

[SiberianTiger]

Probably it's just my end of the workweek denseness, but I've watched this video five times now and I don't see a meteor. I see the countdown end in what I assumed to be a triggered bursting of the balloon to begin the descent, but I see no meteor.

:huh:

I also get no images before the graph.

I have rehosted all the images, hope that everybody can see them now.

 

[Codz]

I have rehosted all the images, hope that everybody can see them now.

They're coming through great now.

 

[Rtyh-12]

It's not the most impressive thing ever, but you can't say that it's not pretty cool

 

[Fork4]

It's not the most impressive thing ever, but you can't say that it's not pretty cool

Cool?! did you see the temps ?! :rofl:

I think it a case of E X KH = R

energy times knowhow = results

They can show they did it, I can't, so good for them I say