Project Aether

Project Aether

Products:

1200g Professional Weather Balloon, $99

- Diameter at burst altitude = 30 ft
- Diameter at release = 6 ft
- Volume at release = 100-150 cuft
- Lift = 7.6 lbs
- Ascent rate = 1000 ft/min
- Burst altitude = 109,000 ft

600g Professional Weather Balloon, $59

Buy at Amazon.com

- Diameter at burst altitude = 20 ft
- Diameter at release = 6 ft
- Volume at release = 50-100 cuft
- Lift = 3.8 lbs
- Ascent rate = 1000 ft/min
- Burst altitude = 101,000 ft

36" Weather Balloon Parachute, $65

Designed specifically for use with weather balloons in the near-space environment.

0.5 to 100 lb payload capacity, larger weight results in higher descent rate.

Optimized for high mach reentry and opening at peak altitude.

Designed to yield 1500ft/min (15mph) descent rate for a 4lb payload at sea level.

Made in the USA from ripstop nylon and military spec paracord, includes 2 quick release carabiners

Fly-it-yourself package in mid-air.

Fly-it-yourself kit results: Denali National Park, Alaskan Range, and the Moon from 110,000 ft.

Denali (Mt. McKinley) from 18,000 ft. Peak is at 20,327 ft!

Assembling Fly-it-yourself kit on a glacier in Denali NP, demonstrating quick field assembly.

Full package. Also shown is optional APRS Radio GPS (top) for backup tracking

Full package. Laminated checklists not shown

GoPro camera in polycarbonate high altitude housing mounted on carbon fiber tube

High quality waterproof S-biner clips for quick field assembly

High altitude rip-stop nylon parachute with S-binder clip for fast field assembly.

Fly-it-yourself HD High Altitude Balloon Package*, $1495

Includes all hardware required to take 1080p HD video for 2.1 hrs from the edge of space.* You supply the helium. Also has the ability to capture 5MP still images every 2-60 seconds for 4 hrs when operated in photo mode. No tools required for assembly, assembles in 20 minutes. Ships in 10 business days. Free shipping within the U.S., please inquire about international shipping. Can launch 3 times with 3 included balloons.

The images on this website were taken using this kit + the 10 W APRS Radio GPS unit.

Includes:
- SPOT GPS tracking device** w/ Li batteries
- GoPro 1080p HD waterproof camera, Li battery, vacuum rated housing and mounting bracket
- 16 GB SD card
- 3x 600g weather balloons (enough for 3 launches)
- 36" neon orange and white parachute
- 36" passively stabilized pultruded carbon fiber payload structure w/ built-in radar reflector
- Carabineer connections for easy field assembly
- Gas cylinder brass fitting and balloon fill tube
- Black latex gloves for handeling balloon
- Waterproof recovery note (i.e. If found, countact_____)
- Waterproof launch checklist
- Step-by-step assembly instructions.
- Step-by-step launch instructions.
- U.S. FAA instructions.

* requires 50 to 150 cuft of helium at atmospheric pressure (roughly 1/3 to 1 full K-sized helium bottle), depending on balloon size. This can be purchased at Party City, Air Liquide, Praxair, etc. This usually costs $100 to $150 per bottle.
** requires $99/year service + $50/year tracking service contract through SPOT GPS.

Fly-it-yourself Package + Tether System

Downtown Houston from 2000 ft.

Fly-it-yourself Package
+ Tether System
$1895

Includes everything in the Fly-it-yourself package plus:
- Li-ion high torque cordless drill
- 2x Li-ion batteries and AC charger for drill
- High quality stainless steel winder reel
- 2000 ft of thick black high tensile strength 150 lb line
- 100 lb stainless steel ball bearing swivel

Tethered camera kit w/ point-shoot

Great for professional and amatuer aerial photos.

Tethered camera kit in Denali National Park, Alaska

Tethered camera kit on Ruth Glacier, Denali National Park

GoPro near-infrared photography. Ask us about specially modified GoPro cameras for IR photos.

Tethered camera kit
$495

Includes everything needed to fly your own tethered camera (point-and-shoot up to DSLR)*:

- 3x 100g red weather balloons
- 500 ft military grade braided Dacron line
- 500 ft winding spool
- 36" orange and white safety parachute
- 36" passively stabilized carbon fiber shaft w/ built-in radar reflector
- Camera clamp with standard 1/4"-20 mount
- Carabineer connections for easy field assembly
- Gas cylinder brass fitting and balloon fill tube
- 100 lb stainless steel ball bearing swivel
- Zip ties and high quality diagonal cutters
- Step-by-step assembly instructions.
- Step-by-step launch instructions.

DSLR kit upgrades to:
- 3x 600g white weather balloons
- 48" orange and white safety parachute
- additional camera clamp with standard 1/4"-20 mount

* Does not include helium or camera.
* Balloons are normally one-time-use, though careful users will likely be able to remove the balloon for re-use many times if no cuts occur in the latex.
* Do not fly in high winds (>5mph), due to risk of camera impact with the ground or trees.

Time capsule weather balloon kit to float keepsakes, notes, ashes to the edge-of-space and back safely.

Hard anodized aluminum water-proof enclosure.

Time capsule kit
$150

Includes everything needed to fly your own time capsule:

- 1x 30g red weather balloon
- Anodized aluminum waterproof enclosure
- 36" orange and white parachute
- 10ft military grade line
- Zip ties
- Waterproof recovery note (i.e. If found, countact_____)
- Launch checklist
- Step-by-step assembly and launch instructions.

- Does not include helium. We recommend "Balloon Time tank" from Amazon or Walmart. One tank will fill one time capsule weather balloon.
- O-ring seal will last 20 years. Ask about our 100yr o-rings.

Fill tube and scale, $150

This item is included in the Fly-it-yourself Package. Fill tube and weigh-off scale for filling a weather balloon directly from a K-type helium bottle. High quality brass fittings and pressure hose, in addition to sturdy scale.

Waterproof 10 Watt APRS Radio GPS

Waterproof 10 W APRS Radio GPS, $495

This item is not included in the Fly-it-yourself package. Allows for high quality GPS tracking through the world-wide APRS network on the 144 MHz band. Reports GPS coordinates and altitude every 10 seconds. Has a range of 300+ miles when balloon is at altitude. Will operate for 48 hrs continuously, or longer if set to smart tracking mode. Per FCC regulations in the U.S., requires amatuer radio license to operate. Comes pre-programed with "Amatuer Weather Balloon" programmed into call sign.

- Waterproof enclosure that is able to relieve pressure during ascent and descent while remaining sealed.
- Operates for 48 hrs continuously.
- No altitude limit for GPS operation (most GPS units are limited to 60,000 ft)
- 8 AA one-time-use lithium batteries.
- Unit can use any AA lithium batteries, 8 per launch.
- Shape memory alloy whip antenna on an SMA connector.
- Designed to attach to Fly-it-yourself package.

100 mW Beeper Radio Beacon

100 mW Beeper Radio Beacon, $150

This item is not included in the Fly-it-yourself package. 10 mW "beeper" radio beacon. Does not report GPS coordinates, but instead transmits a simple beep tone in the 220 MHz band every 5 seconds. Allows for directional location of the payload. Signal can be recieved for ~100 miles when balloon is at altitude. Requires a user-supplied radio. Designed to attach to Fly-it-yourself package. Included Lithium batteries last for 72 hours.