The Icarus project is a home brew project to send a camera high into the stratosphere to take pictures of the Earth from near space. The camera is enclosed in a flight box and attached to a helium weather balloon which lifts the camera to an altitude of approximately 35,000 meters above sea level. The camera is controlled by a small micro computer which takes pictures at timed intervals in various directions. Other sensors to measure temperature, barometric pressure and altitude are incorporated into the flight box.

The on board computer transmits location and altitude data to the ground station. This information is transmitted using radio teletype (RTTY) which is faster and more reliable than CW (Morse Code).

A secondary communication system will soon be implemented using a GSM / GPS tracking device to aid recovery of the payload.

Pictures can found here on flickr

Email address

Team Members ( Currently 1 )

Robert Harrison

Team Lead

Electronics

Programmer

Communications

Photography

Flight Box

Camera Servo

Camera

AVR Microprocessor

Radio Transmitter

GPS (Module)

GPS/GSM (Tracker)

Temperature Sensors

Power Supply (Battery)