John Gordon did something that most modern nations labored for years to accomplish.  Some countries still haven’t managed this feat.  Using only an Arduino kit from Limor Fried’s company Adafruit, he launched his own satellite, Spaceduino, from Vulcan (Alberta, Canada, not Spock’s planet of origin).  He took his Arduino programming kit, built an impact-resistant protective case, and stuck his camera inside.  Attaching the whole rig to a weather balloon, Gordon was able to get some stellar images of space.

He did this by himself, using inexpensive parts.  Who knows what he could accomplish if he had a budget?  Maybe he would’ve gotten past the mesosphere and drifted off into deep space?  He’d already gotten past 99% of Earth’s atmosphere, so why stop there?  Wouldn’t that be a coup for civilian space enthusiasts everywhere?

Gordon’s not done, either.  Next time, instead of still photographs, he wants to record video.  I can’t wait to see that, especially the part where the camera rig falls back to earth once the balloon pops!

Tags: Arduino, Adafruit, John Gordon, homemade satellite, DIY satellite, orbiting camera, DIY space camera, images from space, Vulcan, Alberta, Canada, Spaceduino, Limor Fried

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