High Altitude Balloons
Over the span of a decade launching balloons carrying instruments that measure the protective Ozone Layer high up in the stratosphere, the obvious question was, "Can we put a camera on this?"
I prepared for flight by building a lightweight flight rig out of Styrofoam and bamboo, studying the FAA regulations thoroughly, running flight trajectories, and constantly watching the weather. Whenever clear skies and a good flight trajectory aligned, I would decide whether it was worth risking my cameras. We started with small point and shoot cameras with custom timers soldered in to their shutter buttons, but I always wanted to get something better. I carved out a Styrofoam enclosure to keep my 5D warm and protected in the cold of the stratosphere and padded on the landing. Everything is anchored to the parachute ring just in case. When the balloon bursts, the whole thing gets thrown around and you don't want anything coming loose.
A GoPro pointed directly up at the balloon to capture high speed video of the balloon shredding at 100,000 feet up in the sky.
Video I made detailing the launch and flight of a NOAA ozonesonde from Boulder, Colorado. As part of the Global Monitoring Division based in Boulder, Colorado, the Ozone and Water Vapor Group launches weekly ozonesondes from five sites around the world, most notably at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station where they measure the annual formation of the Antarctic Ozone Hole. I have launched ozonesondes from Boulder, Utah, California, American Samoa, Fiji, Greenland, and the South Pole as part of my work with NOAA and the University of Colorado (CIRES).
Left: University of the South Pacific in Suva, Fiji. Middle: Boulder, Colorado. Right: Large plastic balloon launch at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in winter.
Panorama photograph of the Colorado Front Range from 80,000 feet including Boulder, Golden, and Denver.
Colorado Rockies from 100,000 feet. Flight in September in order to capture the yellow aspen leaves in fall.
Colorado from 106,000 feet looking down at Boulder and the Flatirons.
Looking down at Denver from 100,000 feet.
Boulder and the foothills of Colorado from high on a meteorological balloon.
6 frames from high speed video of the balloon bursting once it expanded to nearly 25 feet across.
On August 21, 2017 I launched a balloon from Wyoming to capture the shadow of the eclipse moving across the state. The Shadow of the Eclipse. The balloon continued all the way up to 105,000 feet after the shadow continued eastward across the United States.
The balloon reached its limit and then parachuted down landing high in the Wind River Range. Lasting 10 months, the recovery was one of my greatest experiences. More on capturing The Shadow of the Eclipse.