Okay, so I had this itch for a while. You see those videos, right? Stuff sent way up high, touching the edge of space practically. Thought I’d give it a go myself, see what’s involved. Decided to launch my own weather balloon, or something like it anyway.
Getting the Gear Together
First thing was figuring out what I actually needed. Sounded simple, but the list grew. Needed the balloon itself, obviously. A big one. Then a parachute, didn’t want the gear smashing back down. A box for the payload – camera, tracker, maybe some sensors later.
Where to get it all? Well, I started digging around online. Ended up getting most of it piece by piece right off Amazon. Seemed easiest. Found a decent sized balloon, a bright orange parachute so hopefully I could spot it later, and a basic GPS tracker designed for this kind of thing. Ordered a cheap action camera too, hoped it would survive the cold up there.
- The big latex balloon
- A parachute
- A foam box (like a small cooler) for the payload
- GPS tracker
- Small action camera
- Lots of strong string
- Duct tape, of course
The trickiest part was the gas. Helium isn’t cheap or easy to get in large amounts. Had to source a tank locally from a party supply place, actually. That took some phone calls.
Putting it All Together
Once the boxes arrived, I spread everything out in the garage. Cut holes in the foam box for the camera lens and the tracker’s antenna. Taped the camera and tracker securely inside. Tested them both. Charged the batteries fully. Made sure the tracker was talking to the satellite and I could see its location on my phone app. Attached the parachute lines to the box, then a long main line to attach to the balloon neck later.
This took longer than I thought. Lots of fiddly bits, making sure knots were secure, balancing the weight a bit.
Launch Day Nerves
Picked a day with good weather forecast – clear skies, not too much wind predicted. Drove out early to a big open field I’d scouted, away from town and flight paths. Checked regulations online beforehand, seemed okay for this size and weight where I was.
Getting the balloon inflated was… an experience. It gets huge, fast. Wrestling with the nozzle and the helium tank valve, trying not to let the balloon scrape on the ground. Slowly, slowly it filled up. Thing was massive, pulling upwards hard.
Tied off the neck securely. Attached the payload line with the parachute and the box dangling below. Double checked every knot. Heart was pounding a bit, honestly. You only get one shot at the launch.
Then, just let go. It shot upwards incredibly fast. Way faster than I expected. Just straight up into the blue.
Watching and Waiting
Pulled out my phone immediately, opened the tracking app. There it was, a little dot moving up and east. Watched it climb for ages. Higher and higher. The tracker app showed the altitude ticking up. Quite amazing seeing those numbers.
It traveled a fair distance, caught the winds aloft. Then, after about maybe 90 minutes, the altitude reading started dropping. Balloon must have burst, parachute deployed. Now the waiting game really began as it drifted back down.
The Hunt
The tracker showed it landed about 30 miles away. Drove out that direction, watching the map. The signal led me down a country road, then pointed towards a patch of woods. Parked the car and started walking.
Took about twenty minutes of searching, pushing through some bushes. Almost gave up, then I spotted it – the bright orange parachute tangled in a tree branch, with the little foam box dangling just above the ground. Success!
What I Got
Got it down carefully. Back home, couldn’t wait to pull the SD card from the camera. The footage was incredible! You could see the ground shrinking away, the curve of the Earth, the blackness above. Totally worth it. The tracker log showed it got seriously high up there.
Was it easy? Not exactly. Lots of little things to manage. Sourcing the parts from Amazon was convenient for most bits, but the helium was a separate hassle. The launch and recovery took planning and patience. But seeing those pictures, tracking its journey… yeah, pretty cool project. Glad I did it.