Out of This World

Who needs a billion dollar budget when you've got four Spanish students who can do it for practically nada?

Four teenagers from the IES La Bisbal school in Spain's Catalonia succeeded in sending a camera-operated weather balloon into the stratosphere to take atmospheric readings and jaw-dropping photographs. (To see some, visit their blog.)

Their helium-inflated heavy latex balloon cost about $71, and the digital Nikon camera they attached to it another $93. The budding scientists -- who called their project Meteotek -- built the balloon's electronic sensor components (which communicated with Google Earth) from scratch, and their labor was, of course, free. Result: Atmospheric readings and priceless photographs from 20 miles above ground.

"We were overwhelmed at our results, especially the photographs," team leader Gerard Marull Paretas, 18, told Spain's Diario Ya newspaper. "To send our handmade craft to the edge of space is incredible." The other members of the team: Sergi Saballs Vil, Martm Gasull Morcillo and Jaume Puigmiquel Casamort. (To watch a video of the launch, click here.)

When they launched, the critical point of the experiment was to see if the balloon would make it past 30,000 feet -- the altitude at which commercial airliners fly. As the balloon rose, the team took readings and mapped its progress using Google Earth and their homemade onboard equipment.

"At over 100,000 feet the balloon lost its inflation and the equipment was returned to the earth," Paretas told Diario Ya. "We travelled 10 kilometers [about six miles] to find the sensors and photographic card, which was still emitting its signal, even though it had been exposed to the most extreme conditions."

Paretas added: "It was a great experience and a successful flight after spending a lot of time, even after-school hours, on afternoons and during my summer holidays. We put in a lot of effort."

NASA, take note.

Photo courtesy Meteotek08 via Flickr.