On a different note...

These pictures are different from the ones I normally post here. They are not infrared or pinhole but they are different in the sense that we don't get to take them all the time.

The pictures are still shots from video camera recorders that were installed in high altitude balloons. Last week I was involved in the launch and recovery of a high altitude balloon that bursted at 92,000 feet (28,000 meters). That is, flying almost three times as high as a commercial airliner.

A portion of the balloon can be seen at the left; the reddish thing is the parachute that will be inflated close to the ground during the descent. The cube object is one of the multiple payloads that contain the instrumentation, cameras, telemetry, etc...

It is amazing how just at 90,000 ft you can see the curvature of the Earth and the blackness of space. Similar view below. The lowest outside air temperature was -60F (-51C).

The videos show extreme turbulence when the balloon crosses the jet stream; the payloads jump all over the place.

And just another view of the Earth...

What we are trying to do with this type of activities is to involve young boys and girls into science and engineering. Don't you think this is just fascinating ???