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
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
***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)
You guys are great! Making an idea happen is 99% Einstein~~
Your futures are secure! Thanks for the inspiration!
Perhaps someday you will be able to host a work shop to encourage middle school and high school kids about space projects so they too can share the excitement! You guys are great! Please drop by next time you people are on the Cape! Ben
Great work guys. Do it again. Try is pointing down at the ground. That would be fun. It would be a great movie opening without faking the digital.
Love it.
Del
You are geniuses! Brilliant work using hand warmers and GPS location program. And combining art and science is sublime. THEN, getting yourself in the 10/12/09 Boston Globe is inspired. You will go far (literally and figuratively).
Guys, this is so very impressive. Your ingenuity and resourcefulness is
inspiring.
Awesome!
And I wonder what Homeland Security thinks of this? It’s sad to think that fanatics could use this as a blueprint launching an attack on their targets.
You guys did influenced us, we tryied to make the same thing but it went not the same as we planed, we uploaded our video of our progress, you can take a llok at it on you tube. Serch it as “project 55 (weather balloon launch) Thanks for such idea!!
An obvious fake … Everyone knows the earth is flat …
In all seriousness, this was a fabulous project!
Congratulations !
Guy’s this is one of those things that opens minds and creates possibilities in the minds of young people. It is through experimentation that we learn. Great work and great pictures….. Best Regards The Hill
i saw ur article in the paper nice work
how many cameras did you use?
Неприятный тип, поморщился КонэЭль.
Каждое утро одно и тоже пробки, давка в метро, нервы. Ездить на работу приходилось через всю Москву, тратя на дорогу почти два часа. Если бы метро располагалось рядом с домом, а так… До ближайшей станции приходилось добираться минут сорок, а то и больше.
Is there a Spanish-speaking guide?
—————————————
dw6we888gdisismnmfemkxduju buy propecia
Awesome! This was a great inspiration for my son’s science fair project!
how do you make one of these?
INSPIRATIONAL!!!!
Thank you Oliver, Eric, and Justin for being my catalyst into science. I have read every word on your website and plan to launch this Friday in Missouri.
But, I would like double check my currently assembled vehicle with your “Step by Step” guide. Could you please email that when you get a chance.
Thank you and good luck with Lindbergh!
mm.. interesting )