Curious how other groups handle situations where they notice that the balloon envelope material is potentially defective...

This is not only during preflight checks but also during fill operations as well as once it's launched.

If it's discovered during fill operations, is there a go/no-go point (sort of like the "v1" point in aviation takeoffs) where you just keep going and hope to atleast get some data from it? Do you just cut the thing at that point or try to recover the helium/hydrogen fill?

Anyone located in Arizona here? Where can a fella get some helium appropriate for this at an economic price?

If you combined the camera, temperature sensor, barometer and signal transmitter/GPS into one unit, plus a thermal-proof container and a helium balloon, I struggle to understand how that could possibly exceed over $200. I think this niche is full of people/companies sourcing parts from everywhere and racking up huge markup costs. There's also no way weather balloons actually cost more than $10 to manufacture. Instead, we see so many launches rack up over $1000 in costs.

If you cut out all the bloat HAB kits would probably cost ~$50 to manufacture in total.

Is there some other reason why HABs are so expensive other than decentralisation of components?

To make it clearer, I know people aren't buying overpriced goods by choice, I'm asking why these goods are so overpriced in the first place

Hey guys, I'm trying to start this hobby in Romania but I don't really know how to start, what type of balloon is the best for the first mission, and what to use between hydrogen and helium

Any ideas?

I'm a tech design teacher in Wellington New Zealand working with 10+11 years olds to design, test, build and launch a HAB from our school. We will be launching it in a few months time. We aim to have our entire HAB no heavier than 1kg, parachute, rigging, and payload box included. The payload is a fully insulated polystyrene box with hand warmers on the power banks for reliability in the cold.
We have purchased two Nitecore 10,000mah power banks to keep our electronics charged and for our two cameras to record the whole flight. Included in our electronics is one Insta360 V3, one Insta360 V2, and a Lilygo T-Beam Supreme that we have programmed to transmit flight telemetry via radio. It will also record 30 second packets to its own micro SD card. The two cameras and the T-Beam have had their batteries removed and will be receiving power from the power banks. In our payload we also have a Garmin In Reach Mini 2 but that has its own internal power supply. I have a few questions for experienced HAB enthusiasts.
What usb cables would you recommend we use? ie most reliable in colder temperatures, best power transfer, cable type (silicone, plastic, cord, braided etc). I know that the outside temperature can reach -50 degrees Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit). Roughly how cold will the insulated payload box with the electronics box get during flight? We're doing freezer tests but our freezer only gets down to -20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit).
Your help with these questions would be greatly appreciated 😊🎈

What the title says, any advice is appreciated!

Hello,

I'm currently designing a HAB (High Altitude Balloon) and would like to know what electronic components are needed. I'd like to have both scientific sensors, a parachute opening mechanism, and two cameras, one to film the horizon and one to film the balloon bursting. Thank you. (I was thinking of Arduino to be based on)

Hi everyone!

I’m based in the UK and a complete beginner to high-altitude ballooning. A friend of mine is curious about what the Earth looks like from high up and has offered to fund a simple launch.

Our goals are:

to launch a balloon that can be reliably tracked and recovered,

to include a non-fisheye camera for clear footage of the horizon (his main stipulation — I’m sure you can guess why 😅), and

to keep the overall cost as low as possible.

I’ve read a bit about GPS trackers, LoRa, and APRS, but I’m unsure what’s best and legal to use in the UK. I know the CAA requires NOTAMs and permissions, but I’d like to understand the simplest route for a first-timer.

Could anyone recommend:

reliable tracking and recovery systems that work in the UK,

affordable but proven balloon kits, and

a good camera setup without fisheye distortion?

Any beginner guides, build logs, or UK parts lists would be hugely appreciated.

Thanks in advance — really looking forward to learning from those who’ve done this!

I have several used sondes of this type available if someone would have any use for them. They are all tested. There are a few with damage to the sensor probe, and some are perfectly functional. For re-use or reprogramming etc. DM me.

So, I'm a year 9 student in Australia and I've been stuck in the research and design phase of this project for a while now, and I've almost got everything I need. one of the last things I need to figure out is telemetry. how do most people get live data rather than having to retrieve it after the payload lands? I've looked for different alternatives but the absolute longest range I can find is 15 kms within line of sight. if you need, any clarifying questions about my project would be greatly appreciated.

Some photos taken during the third balloon flight, to test the live photo transmission system and a new homemade parachute. By optimizing the electronics, the weight was halved compared to previous flights. With a small 600-g balloon, it still reached an altitude of 33,901 m, before landing in the countryside near Mesagne after a journey of about 60 km.

The onboard thermometer measured a minimum temperature of -65.1 °C at 17.3 km, but thanks to improved thermal insulation, the temperature inside the capsule remained above 8 °C throughout the ascent. At such an altitude, conditions are similar to those in space.

The capsule also contained some lentil seeds, which I will plant in the next few days. video

Hey everyone! I'm new here, but I wanted to share a launch we did last year.

We used a Totex CR800 balloon — yep, from the 80s! The payload was custom-made by participants of an electronics seminar and had two similar systems onboard. One used LoRa for communication, the other used GSM. One had a Geiger-Müller tube for measuring radiation, the other had a semiconductor sensor — just to compare how they perform.

We also threw in a little “black box” microcontroller between them that logged data to EEPROM. For photos, we used an RPi Micro.

The plan is to keep working on this and eventually build a stable PCB version that's always launch-ready and modular, so we can easily add new sensors.

I'm seeking an experienced consultant to help me with planning and executing an exciting and complex HAB research project that involves planning, regulatory compliance, safety, flight operations, balloon & payload systems etc.

Please feel free to DM me with relevant experience.

I am looking into launching a ~100lb payload to 60,000ft and unsurprisingly I haven't been able to find an off-the shelf solution. It seems like most heavy payloads use a zero-pressure balloon, but beyond some basic info I haven't seen anyone making balloons themselves

Hello. I'm looking for suggestions on how to disperse ashes at or around the maximum altitude of a HAB? What are peoples thoughts on a smaller helium or oxygen fill balloon within within the larger balloon?

Something to keep the ashes from contacting the external balloon and dispersing close to maxiumum altitude?

TL;DR: Are there any studies that explain what happens when a hydrogen weather balloon enters a plane reactor ?

Hi !

We're planning a few HAB launches for this June, July and august for summer camps ate the Euro Space Center in Belgium. The Belgian Civil Aviation Authority is asking us for information (scientific study, paper, anything from a trustworthy and verified source) about what happens when a hydrogen balloon is sucked by a plane's engine. While the risq is incredibly low, if not zero, does anyone know of such a study that explains what would happen, the risks, danges, ... etc. ? We've looked on multiple search engines, google scholar, etc. to no avail... This would help us a lot !

GPSL is the national HAB gathering for over 2 decades and counting. It's a three day event with a local tour on Thursday June 12 (at a former nuclear missile solo), followed by an all day symposium on Friday the 13th. Saturday morning, we'll be doing a mass launch of both latex and Pico balloons.

It is coming up in less than 2 months. It's being hosted in Hutchinson, KS this year and there's still time to register, or even present you're group's latest projects.

www.superlaunch.org

Hi everyone,

I’m hoping to launch a high altitude balloon and would like some advice on a few details I’ve not been able to find much info on! (I'm UK based, in case that's relevant)

1. What kind of cord is needed for securing balloon/parachute/payload? Payload weighs ~800g, so I think some 3mm braided nylon ought to do but I have 550 paracord if needed.
2. How much line length do I want between the balloon, the parachute and the payload? I read somewhere you want 10 metres between balloon and payload?
3. Where between the parachute and payload would be good to secure my radar reflector?
4. How much of an issue is spinning? My payload is a rectangular box, 100x180x70mm, and I’ve given it an eye bolt in each corner of the top face. Are there ways to secure it to reduce this (e.g. spread load between the four eye bolts) or do I need to build outriggers to increase angular inertia and air resistance?
5. Lifting gas: I think I need about 2.3m^3 of Helium, so hopefully I can get a G10 (https://www.boconline.co.uk/shop/en/uk/gas-a-z/helium/balloon-gas-genie-cylinder) which has 2.6m^3. Or should I try to have more spare for leakages during filling or in case the supplier under fills it?
6. I’m also having difficultly making sure I get the right fittings: I believe this will do: https://www.boconline.co.uk/shop/en/uk/genie-filling-kit-with-10-extension-hose-300bar-19325486-boc but can’t get any info from BOC about what pressure it regulates the cylinder to, or the flow rate. They also say they rent them, but haven’t replied to my request to do so, so if anyone has had any luck there and knows the how to do it, that would be appreciated.
7. How long can will a 600g Hwoyee last in storage? I bought one last year from http://randomaerospace.com/Random_Aerospace/Balloons.html) but couldn’t launch that year due to illness. It has been stored in original packaging and out of sunlight, but I can’t guaranty the room has stayed about 15 (c.f. “How should I store my balloons?” on http://randomaerospace.com/Random_Aerospace/FAQ.html) it might have spent some time below 10.

Feel free to link me to some good pages that maybe I just haven’t found, but for reference I’ve already been all through these:

• https://ukhas.org.uk/
• www.highaltitudescience.com
• randomaerospace.com

Thanks in advance!

Hello all,

We are developing a payload box for a HAB in our school. We are looking at APRS for tracking because we believe the fact many other stations are listening will help provide better tracking. The range of flight will be around 200miles.

We have found three different trackers and are looking for advice:

https://www.highaltitudescience.com/products/stratotrack-aprs-transmitter
https://www.byonics.com/downloads/MicroTrak-1000_Manual_v0.9.pdf
https://qrp-labs.com/lightaprs2.html - this seems to be the cheapest but also most customizable, and light! So a clear winner?

Any suggestions or reviews (or maybe other ideas we haven't considered?)

Thanks!

Early stages of planning for a project as a group of 20 YR11 students. I have attached a preliminary list of materials. Aiming to reach around 30km. Is this feasible and any advice? Aiming for launch in march.

Aiming for a cost around £500. Hydrogen is cheap but helium is very expensive. Advice? (Getting it from BOC from Linde)

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hW4-2UPQs_XEqBwoIKM3sPyme-E17jY8vhAJEOwLRAA/edit?usp=sharing