MIT'16 EA Tube goes to Near Space!

MIT class of 2016 early action admits - "Hack the Tubes" project.
I decided to send my Tube to the edge of space! I turned it into an Amateur Radio High-Altitude Ballooning project. I used two GPS-equipped ham radio transmitters (APRS) using the callsigns AK4JG-11 (me) and K4ETY-11 (my dad) to send out position packets from the Tube so I could track it on the ground. (The thing I'm soldering in the beginning is one of the trackers.) My dad and I made custom antennas for the radios for the flight. (You see one of them at the bottom of all the footage from the TubeCam.) The camera mounted to the Tube ("TubeCam") for the ride was a GoPro Hero camera, taking 960p HD video. The balloon was an 800 gram weather balloon, filled with Helium.
We launched the payload around 1 pm from Lumpkin, GA on January 16, 2012. The entire flight from launch to landing lasted nearly 2 hours. Maximum altitude was approximately 91,000 feet. It landed just east of I-75 and south of Cordele, GA. Ironically, it decided to land in a small patch of trees surrounded by cotton fields. (We were aiming for the fields.) Luckily, it wasn't very high up and we were able to recover everything safely. It was fun! (:

The background song is "Circuit" by Sonic Adventure Project, courtesy of BeatPick.com.

• Category

  Science & Technology

[keacrocodileboy]

OK how can I ever match this? :(

[virtualErin]

Are you a 2017? congratulations and welcome to the ridiculous MIT extended family! don't worry, I'm sure you'll come up with something cool to do with your tube. (: it's not a competition anyway.

[KJ6DRG]

That was rad. Congrats on Young Ham of the Year, as wel! What did you use to gauge the altitude of your balloon?

[virtualErin]

GPS

[Theo Fraser]

Is it weird that as an 18 year old nerd I find this girl's ability to get her MIT acceptance letter into near space really sexy? Is that sexy to anyone else? Maybe I'm weird.

Either way, great achievement! And I hope you're ready for a lot of Portal 2 references.

[Vylvan]

SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA­AAACE

[TheNewMarioG]

Awesome

[omicrontheta1]

It is unfortunate that they put a parabolic lens on the camera, you don't get to see the curvature if the earth as it really I'd

[Jacob Wang]

Cool

[pshl987]

You are amazing

[pshl987]

3> 3> 3>