First Balloon Flight


Background Information on Balloon project

I started working on this project in June of 2007. I have had this idea for 20 years but one day I was reading my Nuts and Volts magazine and they had an articile about near space. This what started me on this project.

I finally launched my balloon on March 1st 2009 from Kewanee Illinois and it laned in Farmer City Illinois in a feild. It traveled 120 miles in 2 hours. We lost all contact with the balloon a half hour after take off. We got one update that said it was 1.5 miles above the ground and the GPS corodinets and time. It was 50 miles away. We went there and searched for 3 hours. The sun was setting and Paul saw someting in a feild. It was the balloon. It was 1.5 miles from it's last update we got. WOW we found it. We where very happy. Here is the pictures we did get. I will update more information in the coming days and the video. WOW.

Here is the projected flight path using Balloon Track Software.

Here is the actual flight path.

I estimated the ballon burst at 86,000 feet. This is an educated guess because I didn't get GPS data for some of the flight.

  • Pictures from camera 1.
  • Pictures from camera 2.
  • Pictures from camera 3.
  • Pictures from camera 4.
  • Pictures from camera 5.
  • Pictures from Landing.
  • Video of launch of the balloon.
  • Video of landing of the balloon.It looks like Roswell all over again.
  • This is the track the ballon took. Beleive it or not.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • This is the track the ballon took. Beleive it or not.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • This is the track the ballon took. Beleive it or not.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.

    Giff formatte of the above balloon tracks.

  • This is the track the ballon took. Beleive it or not.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • This is the track the ballon took. Beleive it or not.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • This is the track the ballon took. Beleive it or not.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.
  • Is is an upclose view of the flight path with Altituide and Time.


    Contact Information.

  • Email Address: glenngram@drydeneng.com
  • Web Address: www.drydeneng.com/balloon
  • Phone number: (734)944-5105.


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    Last Revised: 4/13/2010