High Altitude Balloons

Amateurs are using standard weather balloons

Flights of simple equipment to 100K can be routine

Heavier payloads require more engineering

Equipment will be exposed to super cold (-70F) and near vaccuum (1-2mb)

Surface winds are always a challenge for launch

Except when fronts are nearby, wind is usually calmest at dawn

Above 60,000' you can clearly see the curvature of the Earth

In 1999, JP Aerospace launched a rocket from a balloon at 30,000'

GPS telemetry received from 72,000' was confirmed as an amateur rocketry record

The video was aired by CNN