This thing went to space.
September 29, 2010 4:38 PM Subscribe
The 2010 Brooklyn Space Program. Here is Luke Geissbuhler's homemade spacecraft. It is made of awesome.
Cute. Glad it didn't take anybody out when it fell.
posted by dersins at 4:57 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by dersins at 4:57 PM on September 29, 2010
I know. I was looking forward to the crash.
posted by CunningLinguist at 4:57 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by CunningLinguist at 4:57 PM on September 29, 2010
Worst. Cinematography. Ever.
Sorry for the snarky comment. It seems Metafilter has made me jaded.
And thanks to The Internet, my fear of weather balloons causing air traffic accidents has been settled (summary: in the history of the National Transportation Safety Board's Accident Database from 1962 to present, there is no record of a weather balloon causing an accident).
posted by filthy light thief at 5:06 PM on September 29, 2010
Sorry for the snarky comment. It seems Metafilter has made me jaded.
And thanks to The Internet, my fear of weather balloons causing air traffic accidents has been settled (summary: in the history of the National Transportation Safety Board's Accident Database from 1962 to present, there is no record of a weather balloon causing an accident).
posted by filthy light thief at 5:06 PM on September 29, 2010
Cute. Glad it didn't take anybody out when it fell.
And only several hundred thousand dollars cheaper than a typical NASA weather balloon.
posted by Sukiari at 5:29 PM on September 29, 2010
And only several hundred thousand dollars cheaper than a typical NASA weather balloon.
posted by Sukiari at 5:29 PM on September 29, 2010
Neat! I played Youth Soccer in the very field at the park in Newburgh where they launched the balloon. I still drive by it several times a week. At one point, you can (just barely) see my house in the video as the balloon ascends.
Oh, and backyard SCIENCE! is awesome.
posted by KingEdRa at 5:39 PM on September 29, 2010
Oh, and backyard SCIENCE! is awesome.
posted by KingEdRa at 5:39 PM on September 29, 2010
That was fucking awesome, thanks for sharing it!
posted by nomadicink at 5:41 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by nomadicink at 5:41 PM on September 29, 2010
I was hoping this story was about these guys. Still cool though.
posted by cjorgensen at 5:54 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by cjorgensen at 5:54 PM on September 29, 2010
I never, ever tire of these. On planet poe everyone does this at least once a year.
posted by poe at 6:11 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by poe at 6:11 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
This post made my day - thanks!
posted by futureisunwritten at 6:18 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by futureisunwritten at 6:18 PM on September 29, 2010
I wonder we don't use balloons to get rockets up high enough to cut the cost of launching. It's the same concept behind Rutan's WhiteKnightTwo mothership and SpaceShipTwo spaceplane, which is probably not too heavy for a big balloon to lift.
posted by stbalbach at 7:41 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by stbalbach at 7:41 PM on September 29, 2010
Launched a couple of these with a group recently. Fun putting together and got some pretty amazing pictures out of it. The chase was entertaining as well. Great hobby.
posted by alikins at 8:35 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by alikins at 8:35 PM on September 29, 2010
What a fantastic way to teach your child about science and, well, life in general. Now that's parenting.
posted by dry white toast at 9:00 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by dry white toast at 9:00 PM on September 29, 2010
I wonder we don't use balloons to get rockets up high enough to cut the cost of launching.
That would be a rockcoon.
posted by foonly at 9:28 PM on September 29, 2010
That would be a rockcoon.
posted by foonly at 9:28 PM on September 29, 2010
That was fantastic. Watching the rubber rupture and disintegrate as the craft hovered before the final descent was surreal, like watching a reverse star child birth, or something.
posted by christopherious at 10:44 PM on September 29, 2010
posted by christopherious at 10:44 PM on September 29, 2010
Marvelous!
I now feel a little seasick from watching the video.
posted by msjen at 11:24 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
I now feel a little seasick from watching the video.
posted by msjen at 11:24 PM on September 29, 2010 [1 favorite]
Always fun to watch these camera-to-the-edge-of-space videos. Also nice to see Newburgh (where I grew up) in the news for something not related to gang crime.
posted by aught at 5:43 AM on September 30, 2010
posted by aught at 5:43 AM on September 30, 2010
I wonder we don't use balloons to get rockets up high enough to cut the cost of launching.
Would it?
I would think most of the fuel needed would be spent reaching orbital or escape velocity, things a balloon does not help with. Balloons just cut out a tiny segment of the trip (the atmosphere is a relatively thin shell and the relevant gravity wells have dramatically varying orders of magnitude) and get you above the point at which you would experience drag. I had the impression that atmospheric drag wasn't a big deal for space rockets since they spend so little total time in the atmosphere. Could be wrong, I suppose.
Also, I thought a rockoon was something else.
posted by Xezlec at 9:23 PM on September 30, 2010
Would it?
I would think most of the fuel needed would be spent reaching orbital or escape velocity, things a balloon does not help with. Balloons just cut out a tiny segment of the trip (the atmosphere is a relatively thin shell and the relevant gravity wells have dramatically varying orders of magnitude) and get you above the point at which you would experience drag. I had the impression that atmospheric drag wasn't a big deal for space rockets since they spend so little total time in the atmosphere. Could be wrong, I suppose.
Also, I thought a rockoon was something else.
posted by Xezlec at 9:23 PM on September 30, 2010
Also see:
NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, where local high school students can participate in the BalloonSAT Exploring Program
From last year: Teens Capture Amazing Shots 20 Miles from Earth's Surface With a Balloon
posted by zarq at 8:18 AM on October 4, 2010
NASA's Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, where local high school students can participate in the BalloonSAT Exploring Program
From last year: Teens Capture Amazing Shots 20 Miles from Earth's Surface With a Balloon
posted by zarq at 8:18 AM on October 4, 2010
Worst. Cinematography. Ever.
Funny you should mention that.... the dad's a cinematographer
Local news coverage:
WPIX
Gothamist
posted by zarq at 8:22 AM on October 4, 2010
Funny you should mention that.... the dad's a cinematographer
Local news coverage:
WPIX
Gothamist
posted by zarq at 8:22 AM on October 4, 2010
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