Lego man in space

Michchamp · Jan 27, 2012

has anybody seen this? two kids in Canada purportedly did it. a professional grade weather balloon can make it to the edge of the atmosphere; they bought one, put a lego man on it, with a camera fitted to it & a GPS device.

video
[flash=350,287:91euviye]http://www.youtube.com/v/MQwLmGR6bPA&hl=en&fs=1[/flash:91euviye]
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supposedly it's legit...

redandguilty · Jan 27, 2012

Apparently, doing this requires about $500, plus a little luck. Cameras and balloons aren't too expensive. Transmitting video from space is still too expensive. Transmitting GPS data within a pretty significant range is possible. You need to get lucky and be able to recover the video recorder. I think there are places where jet streams overlap in opposite directions so your balloon can travel far, but land relatively near the launch site. I could be wrong about that, but I'm pretty sure these things land within a day's drive of the launch point.

Pretty cool for a kid's project.

Thumb · Jan 27, 2012

Well if it's a calm day recovery should not be too bad, weather balloons travel to the edge of the Stratosphere, which is about 35 miles.

Though technically that's not the edge of the atmosphere, the true edge is the Karman line which is about twice that high.

Still pretty cool, and a heck of a gamble considering the risk of not recovering a recorder and a GPS transponder.

Someone on the facebook page asked why it did not burn up after the balloon popped during descent, it's because it never got high enough, or fast enough to cause Ionization friction.

lostleader · Jan 28, 2012

How does it get down safely if the ballon popped?

Michchamp · Jan 29, 2012

lostleader said:
How does it get down safely if the ballon popped?

parachute? or maybe the drag from the balloon remnants/streamers was enough to slow it down so it didn't break on impact?

redandguilty · Jan 29, 2012

It was even easier than that, they used a cell phone with an app that reported it's GPS location.
http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1122894

Mitchrapp · Jan 29, 2012

That's pretty cool.

Michchamp · Jan 29, 2012

aviation experts are now concerned that too many copycats trying the same thing could pose a risk to airplanes: http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1123187--aviation-experts-worry-about-lego-man-copycats?bn=1

link also has pic of the styrofoam box they used.

Mitchrapp · Jan 29, 2012

Can you see tomorrow's headline: Lego man takes down 747, lol.

redandguilty · Jan 29, 2012

[color=#006400 said:
Mitch[/color]]Can you see tomorrow's headline: Lego man takes down 747, lol.

I saw a lego break a car windshield on a really hot day. Wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it myself.

Monster · Jan 29, 2012

lol crazy.

imagine if they could see this shit about 60 years ago. "WTF, even kids can put shit into space in 2012?"

Also, i wish the rest of the video was on there. would have been cool seeing it landand be recovered.

redandguilty · Jan 29, 2012

Here's and hour video of a trip up, but no landing.

[flash=350,287:i2yui2fr]http://www.youtube.com/v/nojl3aiYBOw&hl=en&fs=1[/flash:i2yui2fr]
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This one got to within 2 minutes from landing.
[flash=350,287:i2yui2fr]http://www.youtube.com/v/wtXquYhY7wo&hl=en&fs=1[/flash:i2yui2fr]

redandguilty · Jan 29, 2012

This one lands.
[flash=350,287

73xtrig]http://www.youtube.com/v/_00eZtsuJ9M&hl=en&fs=1[/flash

73xtrig]

Michchamp · Jan 29, 2012

Red and Guilty said:
This one lands.
[flash=350,287:r79nlm0a]http://www.youtube.com/v/_00eZtsuJ9M&hl=en&fs=1[/flash:r79nlm0a]

I want to drink a space beer.

Michchamp · Jan 29, 2012

so, technically it didn't make it into space.

at 24K above earth, it was still in the stratosphere.

Thumb · Jan 29, 2012

MichChamp02 said:
so, technically it didn't make it into space.

at 24K above earth, it was still in the stratosphere.

The Natmosphere lol

adam86107 · Jan 29, 2012

MichChamp02 said:
so, technically it didn't make it into space.

at 24K above earth, it was still in the stratosphere.

Wasn't 24k just where they lost the GPS at?

redandguilty · Jan 29, 2012

MichChamp02 said:
so, technically it didn't make it into space.

at 24K above earth, it was still in the stratosphere.

...which isn't the only reason it wouldn't count as the 1st beer in space.

Thumb · Jan 29, 2012

Red and Guilty said:
MichChamp02 said:

so, technically it didn't make it into space.

at 24K above earth, it was still in the stratosphere.

Click to expand...

...which isn't the only reason it wouldn't count as the 1st beer in space.

Of course some elitist had to show up to argue it's not beer.

Mitchrapp · Jan 29, 2012

That's so neat..

Need to send a pizza up with that beer.

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