Highburton man’s amazing space pictures taken with just a balloon and a camera - more pictures here
Mar 20 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner
Highburton man’s amazing space pictures taken with just a balloon and a camera - more pictures here
“So I thought I would use a balloon. But I thought if I cut the string I’ll lose the camera so I got the transmitter and a parachute to get it back.
“We got satisfactory results with the first launch but it nearly landed in the sea. People think this is something that costs millions but it doesn’t. NASA were really impressed we were doing it for such a low price.
“We were sat in a local pub at the time and I was gobsmacked when I got the images.
“Seeing the highest pictures was amazing. That’s a lifetime achievement.
“This year I’m aware of six universities interested.
“You just need a little money and a bit of technical know-how. I know nothing about electronics and what I do know, I learned from the internet.
“My family and friends thought I was a bit mad a first but they were suitably impressed with the results. The pictures speak for themselves.”
Robert’s balloons reach the middle of the stratosphere, which stretches from 10km above the earth to 50km.
Above that is the mesosphere, stretching to 90km above the surface, and beyond that is the thermosphere.
There is actually no definite boundary that marks the top of the atmosphere, but eventually it becomes so completely tenuous that for practical purposes it can be regarded as ‘space’.
Passenger aircraft fly at 9km, the Space Shuttle at 300km and the Space Station orbits at 350km.
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