Spacebits

The goal for this project is to launch High Altitude Balloons (HAB) into near space from Portugal. The Helium filled Balloons will go as high as 30.000 meters (about 100.000 feet), to the stratosphere, then explode and the probe, a computer, radios and cameras and lots of sensors, falls on earth with a parachute and is then recovered.

HABs have been sent to the skies for many years by scientific institutions and universities but recently, with the advent of the Internet, cheap electronics, micro-controllers and sensors, and the DYI communities, it’s been possible for any individual to build his own affordable project.

There’s been several personal HABs launched through Europe and the US on the last months. So what’s so special about ours?

Spacebits is a live Internet event:

• The Balloon sends its coordinates and sensors’ measurements live to the Internet, right here on this Website. You’ll be able to follow the whole trip for about 2 hours on a live real-time web dashboard, complete with on-board instruments, an interactive map that moves accordingly and a few surprises.
• Spacebits tweets its status and coordinates to Twitter, also in real-time, over at @flyspacebits
• We organize collaborative hunts for the probe when it falls. Stay tuned.
• You may be able to speak your name in space.

Our main motivation is to constantly improve and innovate our design with each flight. The whole process of planning and assembling everything together is very challenging and the idea of sending our stuff to near space altitude and recover it later on is just pure adrenaline for geeks like us.

You can follow us on Twitter @flyspacebits and on Facebook.