Quote:
Originally Posted by drewprops
I'm worried about the possibility of his balloon interfering with air traffic or road traffic, but he doesn't seem too concerned.
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If you watch the story, you'll know that FAA approval (if in the US) is something they're
very concerned about.
At ground level the balloon will only be a meter or two across... up a few miles it will expand to potentially be a major flight hazard.
Differential pressure will cause it to continue to expand until > 30km up in the stratosphere, when it will burst and parachute down.
The chute and styrofoam box aren't big enough risks to much traffic (although if they land on a road the camera might get crunched), but potentially bringing down a jet with a balloon might get you tagged as a potential terrrrrrist.
The trick has been done a few times... sometimes by schoolkids. The science behind it was documented by
MIT a while back... Details,
including hardware lists at
http://space.1337arts.com