Brooklyn Dad and Kid Send iPhone Into Outer Space

[Dave Schwartz]

This is really cool.

Brooklyn Dad and Kid Send iPhone Into Outer Space

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2010/10/brooklyn_dad_and_kid_send_ipho.html?utm_source=fee dburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+nymag/intel+(Daily+Intelligencer+-+New+York+Magazine)

[ArlJim78]

that a light craft like that could rise to such a height and come down only 30 miles away is astonishing to me. especially in view of the high winds that were encountered.

good story.

[JustRalph]

great story

That Iphone camera is awesome

[PhantomOnTour]

Help me out here because I am from the South and we've been known to be pretty slow.....

A) was there a danger of the falling phone and cam hurting someone?
B) the equipment survived the fall?

Did I miss the part about a parachute?

[JustRalph]

Help me out here because I am from the South and we've been known to be pretty slow.....

A) was there a danger of the falling phone and cam hurting someone?
B) the equipment survived the fall?

Did I miss the part about a parachute?
From this link:

The team was headed by Luke Geissbuhler and his 7-year-old son Max, who found the camera about 30 miles from the launch site in upstate New York. At its peak, the balloon reached an altitude of about 100,000 feet and battled 100-m.p.h. winds before it burst, sending the camera and iPhone hurtling back to earth at rates of 150 m.p.h. A specially designed parachute attached to the capsule eventually slowed it to about 15 m.p.h. Note to Max's school: if there's a science fair this year, give this guy the top prize.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/13/father-son-team-launch-balloon-with-hd-camera-iphone-into-space/#ixzz12j7K7jQi

[PhantomOnTour]

From this link:

The team was headed by Luke Geissbuhler and his 7-year-old son Max, who found the camera about 30 miles from the launch site in upstate New York. At its peak, the balloon reached an altitude of about 100,000 feet and battled 100-m.p.h. winds before it burst, sending the camera and iPhone hurtling back to earth at rates of 150 m.p.h. A specially designed parachute attached to the capsule eventually slowed it to about 15 m.p.h. Note to Max's school: if there's a science fair this year, give this guy the top prize.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2010/10/13/father-son-team-launch-balloon-with-hd-camera-iphone-into-space/#ixzz12j7K7jQi
Thanks Ralph. That link gives a bit more info. Neat experiment...imagine the excitement as they were tracking it down with the GPS after it landed. That 7 yr old kid must have been beside himself with anticipation...what a treasure hunt. What a moment for them to share. :ThmbUp:

[DJofSD]

Give that dad an award.

BTW, the network and signals for cell phones are pretty much horizontal, i.e. along the ground and not directed up into the sky.

[DJofSD]

Thanks Ralph. That link gives a bit more info. Neat experiment...imagine the excitement as they were tracking it down with the GPS after it landed. That 7 yr old kid must have been beside himself with anticipation...what a treasure hunt. What a moment for them to share. :ThmbUp:
That's geocaching at an entirely different level!

[PaceAdvantage]

THAT was awesome!

Looks like they used the iPhone merely for GPS tracking, and an entirely different camera for recording the footage...

[JustRalph]

THAT was awesome!

Looks like they used the iPhone merely for GPS tracking, and an entirely different camera for recording the footage...

Really? I heard on the radio it was the Iphone camera......cool.....thanks for the info........

[bigmack]

My old man could barely put together a kite. He put a tail on it with greasy rags. Musta weighed 4 lbs.

[PaceAdvantage]

Really? I heard on the radio it was the Iphone camera......cool.....thanks for the info........If you watch the video, you can see that the camera is already inside that Styrofoam thingy when the dad talks about placing the iPhone in there as a GPS device...at least that's what I thought I saw and heard as they were setting things up....

In addition, if you look at where the hole is for the camera, you can immediately tell an iPhone would be impossible to use in that position, as the camera lens is located on the long flat side of the iPhone (upper right), not on the top or bottom, where it would have to be if they were using the iPhone as the video device in that particular position/configuration....