Photographing Earth from Space on a $150 Budget
![2balloons0918[1]](http://www.weldingandgasestoday.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2009/09/2balloons09181-300x225.jpg "2balloons0918[1]")
I’ve come to learn that success in the gases and welding industry is, in part, about ingenuity and thinking outside the box. So when I came across a recent story about three MIT students who decided to see if they could shoot photos in near-space with the help of a helium gas balloon, it struck me as a story worth sharing with GAWDA members.
Students Eric Newton, Oliver Yeh and Justin Lee came up with the idea following Yeh’s exploration of aerial photography using a balloon tethered with fishing line floating a few thousand feet above Earth.
Being strapped for cash as most college students are, the trio had to come up with a way to launch a camera into the stratosphere on the cheap. The simplest option: a camera-toting helium balloon.
Granted, using a helium balloon to carry something aloft is not a particularly novel idea, but how the students made this project work is truly remarkable.
They bought all of their components off the shelf—a GPS-enabled cell phone, digital camera, balloon and helium—for $2 below their $150 budget.
Faced with high-altitude temperatures far below zero that could damage the components, the guys used a Styrofoam cooler and hand warmers to protect the equipment.
They launched the balloon and tracked it to an altitude of 17.5 miles. It fell to Earth five hours later, less than 20 miles away from the launch site.
Above is just one of the many amazing photos Newton, Yeh and Lee were able to capture. And all for 148 bucks.
Let’s hope the bean counters at the NASA are taking notes.
(Click here for more photos and further details of the experiment.)
Tags: gases, helium, MIT, photos from space
