Comments on: High schoolers totally shred on a high-altitude balloon

By: Todd Stowe

Todd Stowe — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 13:36:13 +0000

I caught a video of a balloon bursting. It’s at http://thetalon.smugmug.com/Misc/Space/More-Testing/19696778_tL84KT#!i=1828987339&k=GSRQXXq. I also did a time-lapse video showing the expansion of the balloon at http://thetalon.smugmug.com/Misc/Space/More-Testing/19696778_tL84KT#!i=1835247508&k=4rZV7jw.

By: Dave Brooks

Dave Brooks — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 15:41:02 +0000

The really interesting part of this isn’t the balloon, it’s the re-entry vehicle, a cheap but clever Styrofoam contraption that floated back to Earth without a parachute, landing about 40 miles away, with all its electronic equipment intact. Very, very clever.

By: MC

MC — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 17:27:57 +0000

> i have one question though: what do flat earthers think of this? *anyone* can do this and get photographic evidence that the earth is not flat.

Flat Earthers, like most believers in faith-based systems are not interested in evidence. That you can provide some against their notions is of no concern to them.

By: Matt B.

Matt B. — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 16:25:02 +0000

@4 Gr8GooglyMoogly – “You keep mentioning this Cosmic Ray guy. I wonder, does he play the Theremin?”

I think he sells pizza in New York at Famous Original Cosmic Ray’s. (They should totally have used that on Futurama.)

By: rob

rob — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 13:52:05 +0000

ballons, iphones, gps–students these days have wonderful cheap devices to do awesome experiments like this.

i have one question though: what do flat earthers think of this? *anyone* can do this and get photographic evidence that the earth is not flat.

By: JB of Brisbane

JB of Brisbane — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 11:36:31 +0000

Photo reminds me of the cover of Boston’s album, Third Stage. I keep looking out for the big organ pipe spaceship to appear.

By: MadScientist

MadScientist — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:46:56 +0000

The bursting of the balloon is accidental (but desired) rather than deliberate. A lot more effort goes into creating balloons that can stay aloft for extended periods. If you’re unlucky a balloon pops at a mere 16km (I’d even seen a few pop at 12km) and at the other extreme some balloons make it to 42km. The reported altitude in the case of typical weather balloons is the Geopotential Height (see wikipedia entry on that) and it is estimated from the barometric pressure. I wonder if the NWS makes the raw balloon data freely available.

By: Morphos

Morphos — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:22:33 +0000

Ionizing radiation is nice. The boojum is fast neutrons. High altitude is loaded with them from cosmic ray spallation of gas atoms. Fast neutrons are biologically nasty (and C-14 sweet).

By: Scottynuke

Scottynuke — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 20:02:18 +0000

*letting my Wildcat flag fly* Yay UNH mentors!!!

By: Crudely Wrott

Crudely Wrott — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 19:48:25 +0000

Wow. The balloon shredded fractally!

Nice job, kids. Very nice.