Welcome to space.1337arts.com — Project Icarus, home of the original $150 near-space launch!
UPDATE: 8/7/10 We have created a forum. If you have questions, comments, or just want to show your near-space launch, post HERE!
UPDATE: 5/12/10 Check out grassrootsmapping.org! We’re helping citizens to use balloons, kites, and other simple and inexpensive tools to produce their own aerial imagery of the spill… documentation that will be essential for environmental and legal use in coming years.
UPDATE: 10/30/09: Want to do it yourself? Visit GUIDE, a compilation of detailed information regarding what we did for our launch.
Click Here for archive of updates
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***CAUTION/DISCLAIMER: Launching things into the stratosphere can be DANGEROUS! Please contact the FAA before trying any launches (even if they are under 4 lbs.) to make sure your vehicle won’t be entering restricted airspace and PLEASE check the University of Wyoming’sBalloon Trajectory Predictor(or a similar website) to make sure you balloon won’t be landing in the city/a populated area where it might cause significant damage. Also, be sure to test your balloon’s terminal velocity for descent before launching. We tested our parachute by putting eggs inside of our styrofoam box and tossing the box off of a 5 story building. We were not satisfied with the landing speed of our box until the eggs did not break upon the box’s impact.
About Project Icarus
We are a group of MIT students seeking to share the artistic aspects of science with others. On Sept. 2, 2009, we launched a digital camera into near-space to take photographs of the earth from high up above. (see “Flight”)
Several groups have accomplished similar feats (see “Other Launches”), but as far we know, we are the first group ever to:
(1) Complete such a launch on a budget of $150 total. All of our supplies (including camera, GPS tracking, weather balloon, and helium) were purchased for less than a grand total of $150.
(2) Create a launch vehicle without the use of any electronic hacking. We used off-the-shelf items exclusively (i.e., no electronic chips or soldering) to create our launch vehicle.
The results were fantastic. Our ultra low-budget balloon went 17.5 miles high into the uppermost parts of the stratosphere and returned 5 hours later. We tracked the device with GPS and found it some 20 miles away from the launch site.
Check us out on CNN, FOX, ABC! Click here to watch the Fox video, Click here to watch the CNN video. Click here to watch the ABC video
Project Icarus Details:
| Who | Oliver Yeh , Justin Lee, Eric Newton |
| Launch Date/Time | September 2nd, 2009, 11:45 EST |
| Launch Location | Sturbridge, MA - 42.12074, -72.06233 |
| Impact Location | Worcester, MA - 42.25504, -71.71943 |
| Distance Traveled | ~20 miles |
| Altitude Achieved | 98,000 feet, 17.5 miles |
| Helium Used | ~65 cubic feet |
| Weight | ~800g, 28oz |
| Camera | Canon A470 /w chdk open source firmware |
| Batteries | 4 Energizer Ultimate Lithium AA Batteries |
| GPS Reciever | Motorola i290 Prepaid Cellphone (“Boost Mobile”) |
| Tracking Software | Accutracking, Instamapper |
| Flight path | Google Earth kml |
| FAA regulation | Legal as long as payload is under 4 pounds |
**Below is a video for people who cannot access Youtube (e.g., people in China)
For all the naysayers… please post your projects… yep, just as I thought, you have not done anything, probably because you are too scared, please take a few risks and do something, anything and learn!
I’m just jealous. What’s next guys, video?
Good luck!
Damn, why can’t everyone just say “hey that’s cool” instead of trying to start something.
These trolls are just jealous they aren’t smart enough to do something like this.
Well it is cool, who doesn’t like aerial photography. It’s also in violation of FCC regs. The claim to fame here is that it is cheap and off-the-shelf with as little hacking as possible, which resulted in the FCC violation. Of course they can ditch the cell-phone and achieve compliance, also making it cheaper, but then they have even less of an idea of the altitude. Unless they use ground sensors for that – which come to think of would be pretty cool by itself.
It was presumably an accidental oversight on their part, which makes it worth bringing up.
Legality is not a matter of opinion. It’s not a violation as the weight was under 4 pounds. Read the relevant FAA rules via the link included on their homepage before saying it’s illegal.
I think he was talking about the cell phone operation reg, not the weight regs. My understanding of the cell phone reg is that it does not depend on weight.
I got an idea; since the cell phone was used for it’s GPS properties, to easily locate their device, they should replace th ecell phone with a 18 miles long cord. that way you just have to follow the cord after it landed….
this would be FAA jurisdiction, not FCC. besides… who cares what a group so opposed to boobies thinks!!!
Because people like Matt will remain “in the closet” their entire life. Those people in the flights during 9-11 were breaking the law when the plane was jacked, Matt, you going to say something about that too? Should you say something about their being on the phones when the plane was rammed into the towers? See??? I can take things too far too, ‘tard.
plus apparently 20% of people in airplanes forget to turn of their cell phone anyway. so it’s not like its a rare occurrence
Very cool project especially on the shoestring budget. The photo is brilliant.
Hope to see more interesting things like this
Love the idea, love the execution, love the name. Great work you all!
This is really cool, can we try this at home then
Fantastic !!! Great job !
It is cool to get space photography for less than most new digital cameras! Great work and good luck!
Very cool. Although, you sent a camera up, with enough memory for 8hrs of shots, but youve only got 2 pictures on the site? I want to see some more, this is awesome.
Duh it’s obviously a fake because the world isn’t a ball.
Just read the bible and you will see that this is just some dumb stuff by kids who want to make people believe in satan.
yeah and if you sail too far you’ll fall off the edge..
Wow, exceptionally good work. Keep it up. r/ jim
Great idea, Great execution! What’s next?
Well done guys, have a look at Robert Harrisons results, here in the UK, for tips how to get round tracking devices, etc…..
http://www.flickr.com/gp/30721501@N05/8GE47y
Amazing work guys… very well done.
this is awesome. the only downside is that there aren’t more pictures. send some more up and take more pics please.
Hey guys nice effort
You may want to check out my Icarus project which has been running for well over a year on a very similar theme. In fact I’m rather surprised you didn’t find it.
http://www.robertharrison.org/icarus
Let me know where you plan to go next some of us are contemplating getting into space.
Wicked shit! I wonder what regulations will be in my country. I considered buying a RC helicopter to make such shots, but a balloon! Did not even think of that!
Awesome! Are there also pics of the building process?
You do know i now expect a new projects’ photo’s to be of mars and further
Again, Awesome stuff dudes (and dudettes)!!
Awesome!!!!!!!!!!
Love the photos. Would love to see more
Awesome
Way to go guys, great idea and lots of fun along the way.
Keep us posted on new development.
Cheers
Nice work. Very cool.
We’ve launched a few “big” balloons with radio modems and everything for tracking purposes. The cellphone idea is great — nice use of off the shelf stuff all around!
Our site is here:
http://space.weber.edu/harbor/
We’ve stitched some of our photo data and it is here (along with some other things):
http://gigapan.org/viewProfile.php?userid=22117
You guys are amazing, this is the most awesome home project ive ever seen:D