This article is more than 1 year old
Ultralight party balloons in WEEK-LONG marathon flight
Brits' payloads travel suggestively all over Europe
A couple of ultralight balloon payloads have for the past week traced suggestive paths over Europe, and continue to transmit from the skies over Belarus and Bulgaria (click pic for a bigger version):
Leo Bodnar's B-11 and B-12 missions were launched from Blighty's Silverstone Circuit on Sunday 1 and Monday 2 September, respectively. Each comprises a UBLOX GPS, PIC24 microcontroller and 434.500MHz transmitter, powered by solar panels and a LiPo for night-time operations...
...while a foil party balloon provides the lift:
Leo told El Reg that while the B-11 is functioning as planned, B-12's LiPo has clapped out, so the payload only transits during the day. Radio hams across Europe have tuned in to track the pair, and continue to monitor their progress as they trace virtual todgers across the heavens. ®