Father and son team launch iPhone to the edge of space - PC Retail

Father and son team launch iPhone to the edge of space

VIDEO: Images from balloon-boosted iPhone 19 miles high
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A father and son team have launched an iPhone with camera and GPS tracker to the upper bounds of the atmosphere by weather balloon.

Luke Geissbuhler and his seven year old son Max's home made 'spacecraft' returned spectacular high definition video footage as the package was carried aloft to the upper stratosphere 19 miles above ground. The package flew for 70 minutes before bursting it's weather balloon and returning to earth at 150mph, even with a parachute.

With the iPhone and camera packaged inside insulation designed to resist temperatures of minus 50 centigrade, the returning spacecraft touched down just 30 miles from where it had gone up. Caught in a tree the package continued to broadcast GPS location and searching by night the father and son team spotted the tell tail blinking LED. 

The Geissbuhlers formed the Brooklyn Space Program which describes itself as an "organization formed by a group of friend sin New York City interested in scientific experiments, engineering, design and education." The web site provides details in supporting the next mission and offers T-shirts for sale.

The Geissbuhler family also promise on the site an upcoming book explaining how the feat was done possibly for other fathers to be inspired by.

The video below chronicles the challenges of the task as father and son prepare and launch the home made iPhone-powered space craft:

Homemade Spacecraft from Luke Geissbuhler on Vimeo.