HELP - need a small...
 

  You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more

[Closed] HELP - need a small parachute

8 Posts
8 Users
0 Reactions
77 Views
Posts: 6734
Full Member
Topic starter
 

Some students of mine are aiming to take a camera up to photograph the earth's curvature (helium balloon, expands as rises, pops, falls to earth). They have planned to use an umbrella as a 'chute', but it's not light and I think will just collapse.
Any ideas for where to get a small, lightish, cheap 'chute?


 
Posted : 13/01/2014 2:50 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Have a look on some of the robotics websites.
Best bet might be to contact a manufacturer and tell them what you are up to - might find one ends up on it's way F0C 😉


 
Posted : 13/01/2014 2:55 pm
Posts: 166
Free Member
Posts: 6734
Full Member
Topic starter
 

Cheers chaps


 
Posted : 13/01/2014 3:12 pm
Posts: 0
Free Member
 

Oh man that's reet made my day.. Here you have a group of bright students willing to make all that effort to send a camera up on a helium ballon, are interested enough to learn about the earth and her atmosphere, have sold it well enough to get their teacher on board ... And they decide to use an umbrella as a recovery system - marvelous

How will you find the camera by the way, cheap GPS, old phone with locator?

Good luck post some photos


 
Posted : 13/01/2014 3:33 pm
Posts: 13916
Free Member
 

been done a few times using Raspberry Pi's. Info on the [url= http://www.raspberrypi.org/ ]website[/url]


 
Posted : 13/01/2014 3:34 pm
Posts: 17728
Full Member
Posts: 33325
Full Member
 

They have planned to use an umbrella as a 'chute', but it's not light and I think will just collapse.
🙄
Deary me, someone has to be having a laff, Shirley! A circle of heavyweight* plastic, like from a thick plastic bag, with fishing line glued and taped at regular intervals all the way round, about every 20 degrees, then just hung under the balloon and the camera in its box tied to the other end of the lines. As soon as the balloon bursts, the camera drops, parachute opens, sorted.
Ridiculously simple, easy for the students to construct as part of the project.
(An umbrella! Who's the Mary Poppins fan then?)
*thicker than a bin bag or average Sainsbury's bag.


 
Posted : 13/01/2014 6:48 pm
Posts: 8318
Full Member
 

Some students of mine are aiming to take a camera up to photograph the earth's curvature (helium balloon, expands as rises, pops, falls to earth).

Looking forward to a "My helmet saved my life" post as some unfortunate mountain biker is taken out by a cambrella plummeting to earth at terminal velocity. 🙂


 
Posted : 13/01/2014 7:29 pm

6 DAYS LEFT
We are currently at 95% of our target!