[from an email discussion with 31die]
Having an aerial platform really would be tremendous. I'm trying to
think of other ways to get something airborne.
How about with a winch, like they use to launch sailplanes? If you
use it to launch a glider holding a camera then it is a big & heavy
glider. If you use it to launch a kite, then the assumption is once
you get some good height there will be stable wind available.
How does a winch work?
Dirigible of some sort? This could actually be okay, assuming it is
not powered by a burner, but is lofted by helium or something. I
guess the problem becomes it will take a large volume of helium to
launch our apparatus, and when you retrieve the thing it seems dubious
that you'd be able to pump the helium out of the sack and back into a
storage tank.
Weather balloon? That might also be viable. I guess that is the same
as a dirigible -- with the advantage that it is meant to loft
instruments, will be more robust than some air sack we build by hand,
etc. I think they are all launched on helium.
Yeah, I have thought about this option before. But my idea was to supplement the kite's lift with a weather balloon connecting to the same point on the kite line that the upper arm of the kap bridle connects too. My thought was that this would reduce the apparent weight of the rig while allowing it to otherwise behave the same to the kite. I also thought it might provide sort of a buffering to the whole system and make it slightly less jerky. (though that might be uncompensated for by the wind blowing around this big fucking weather balloon)
But furthermore, this becomes less realistic when I point out something I read the other day. The USA basically holds some staggering fraction of the world's supply of helium. While it's available everywhere in the usa, apparently it is harder to come by elsewhere. I suppose you still must be able to get a cylinder of it for welding gas purposes in australia? In fact, if anywhere else has helium, it would probably be ore-rich Australia.
I was entertaining visions of a land cruiser racing across the outback with a 5-foot diameter weather balloon in behind the rear window, out of the wind as we drive on to the next site.
hmm. I wonder how sophisicated, expensive weather balloons are. I bet google knows... It tells us how many balloons per cylinder = f(ballon size, and cylinder size). It tells us how to fill a weather balloon. It tells us what to do if you find one (plus some manufacturer names) like Vaisala, VIZ, AIR. This site has tons of links to miniature hot air balloons, which I have built many times, and which I am being expressly forbidden from purchasing by my skeptical wife, but there may be some links to where to purchase weather balloons. It's getting late; I'll have to dig later. AH-HA! WE'RE IN! HERE THEY ARE!
*followup: there is also this odd site referring to pibal analysis.
Model rocket? They used to sell a rocket than had a tiny camera in
the nose cone. When the engine burnt out the rocket would start to
arc over in a parabola and the slight offset mass of the camera would
make it face the earth. I don't know what determined when the shutter
fires -- if they were clever they could detect the momentary
weightless at the very top of the parabola and hit it then. Of
course this has no video, etc.
hahahahhahahahaha I think Australia has sensitivites regarding open flame in the outback.
Ultralight?
Parasail?
Would be damn cool.
Enormously long pole?
I myself was wondering how interesting a perspective it would give our photos to have a 20' or 30' high pole to take photos from. What is the largest free-standing pole we could carry and deploy? My guess is pretty fucking high, especially because we'll have two landcruisers and winches to manhandle the columns. IP built a 80' high one from sewer pvc pipe. All it needs is some hole in the ground to fit into, and then hoist with a triangle.
Posted by Nils Blutig at October 29, 2002 11:40 PM | TrackBack