Taking Pictures from Space… On a Budget

For the sake of retaining good mental health, keeping your mind active with a good hobby is one of the best things you can do. Hobbies could range from, oh I dunno, playing with a paperclip, to taking pictures from space. One is far more expensive than the other, and seemingly out of reach for a lot of people. What if it wasn’t as expensive as you thought, though?

MIT students recently proved that when strapped for cash, you’re more likely to explore possibilities you might not have otherwise explored. Believe it or not, these students managed to put together a system that cost them no more than $150, and one of the resulting images can be seen below. That’s right… for $150 (excluding a camera), they managed to get pictures far from above earth.

Sure, that image might not seem that high, but they did actually manage to go quite a bit higher than that, to see both the tip of the earth’s atmosphere, and also the blackness of space. Images like these used to be possible only by space agencies, such as NASA, but not so anymore. The best part? The entire build requires little in way of tweaking, and all of the parts are available right off the shelf to regular consumers.

Though there’s a bit more information available at the URL below, the entire process requires a cell phone (pre-paid) with GPS capabilities, a camera that can be pre-equipped with special software for automatic picture-taking, an 8GB SD card, an external antenna for increased signal, and of course, a balloon that can hold on to dear life for as long as possible. To battle the cold, the students purchased Coleman hand warmers to wrap parts of the equipment with. Where there’s a will, there’s a way, that’s for sure!

Two MIT students have successfully photographed the earth from space on a strikingly low budget of $148. Perhaps more significantly, they managed to accomplish this feat using components available off-the-shelf to the average layperson, opening the doors for a new generation of amateur space enthusiasts. The pair plan to launch again soon and hope that their achievements will inspire teachers and students to pursue similar endeavors.