Our project involves sending a high altitude weather balloon complete with payload from our hometown in the Forest of Dean to the edge of space (approx. between 70,000 to 110,000 feet up into the Stratosphere). The balloon is typically equipped with a camera and video recorder as well as GPS tracking equipment, so we can locate it once it has burst and returned to earth with the help of a parachute and hopefully with some pretty decent video and photos of the journey.We have completed three successful launches to date, each with it's own specific focus. STRATODEAN One was primarily aimed at getting photographs of the curvature of the Earth. STRATODEAN Two recorded temperature data and resolved issues we had experienced with fogging of the camera lens in the previous launch. As a result, it gave us much clearer footage. Finally STRATODEAN Three featured a new and improved tracker with a few special festive guests on board.
Permission for a High Altitude Balloon launch is required from the Civil Aviation Authority, this is standard procedure and can be applied for online. High altitude ballooning is quite a popular up-and-coming hobby, please visit ukhas.org.uk for more information. You can also follow us on Twitter!
The idea of this blog is to document our progress as a record of the project, share our experiences and hopefully encourage and inspire others to get a project going - similar or otherwise!
