Amateur Near Space Exploration


What can you do with $150 worth of balloon and helium? You can send an experiment into near space. Near space, that region of the Earth's atmosphere between 75,000 and 328,000 feet, has an environment far more similar to space than it does to the surface of the Earth. In fact the near space environment closely matches the Martian environment. While easily reached by balloon, near space is above the altitudes that most airplanes can reach.

The Near Space Capsule


A payload sent into near space is called a near space capsule or nearcraft. They can be built for as little as $500, and like the Space Shuttle, they are reusable. Mission after mission, nearcraft perform experiments on a shoe string budget. Experiments include sounding the atmosphere, remote sensing the Earth's surface, cosmic ray studies, astronomical observations, radio propagation, and technology evaluations.

A Near Space Flight

Crew members begin mission preparations one hour before launch. Crews will close-out the nearcraft and fill its three pound weather balloon with 300 cubic feet of helium. Once filled, the balloon stands eight feet tall. The assembled near space stack, consisting of the balloon, recovery parachute, and nearcraft, stands nearly fifty feet tall. Releasing the stack is an impressive sight. A near space flight takes about two hours. With the help of amateur radio, chase crews track and follow the stack using telemetry from the nearcraft's onboard computer and GPS receiver. Even at 100,000 feet, the balloon can still be seen from the ground. The flight terminates once the balloon bursts after expanding to a diameter of twenty feet or more. The descent requires an additional hour. With good roads, and a measure of luck, chase crews are present to observe the landing. Afterwards chase crews power down the nearcraft and recover its photographic film. Usually they retire to lunch while waiting for the flight's photographs to be processed. Individuals participating in a near space mission will accomplish more by noon than most people will accomplish all day.

Near Space Experiments

In near space the distance to the horizon is greater than 300 miles, making the Earth's curvature visible. The entire state and portions of neighboring states can be observed. Ground photographs let entire cities be viewed within a single image. And it's not just photographs that are recorded. The winds and air temperatures of these extreme altitudes can be charted. Cosmic rays, atoms from the stars of distant galaxies, can be detected and recorded. Past missions have even attempted to capture pieces of Halley's Comet. Results of a near space mission can be a part of a fantastic science fair project. It is a unique opportunity to design, build, and operate a functional model of a spacecraft. Amateur near space exploration really is a poor man's space program.

Getting Involved

If you would like additional information or would like to sponsor a flight, please contact the program manager for TVNSP at verhap@occ1.sd01.k12.id.us

In addition, you can subscribe to the TVNSP listserv and keep up to date on TVNSP flights and issues. Subscribe to the TVNSP listserv at Yahoo! Groups. Click on the subscribe button.