Here is a neat little project conducted by a father and son team to see what the earth looks like from the stratosphere via an HD camera. They did about eight months of research and testing prior to the launch date, and as you’ll see in a moment, the incredible view from their homemade spacecraft made the whole thing worth it.
If you’re impatient, skip a ways in to see the lofty views.
The iPhone (used as a tracking device) was housed in Styrofoam case, while a weather balloon was used to send the HD camera to the heavens. The footage you just watched showed the iPhone reaching a height of 100,000 feet, before plummeting back to the ground at a whopping 150 miles per hour. Unsurprisingly, the whole contraption landed 30 miles away from the initial launch area.
Since this video first aired, Luke Geissbuhler (the father) actually did another launch, using a new and improved balloon. I highly recommend you head over to his page and check it out.