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5:06 pm
Fri November 30, 2012

Styrofoam Spaceship Splashes Down Without Video Victory

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Credit Troy Hale
The balloon payload consisted of a Styrofoam bucket containing five digital HD cameras to record the journey.
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Credit Kirk Mason
Troy Hale (second from left) and his crew prepare for launch.
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Credit Kirk Mason
Skies were clear in Pontiac and winds were strong.
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Credit Kirk Mason
Troy Hale watches his project soar away. The balloon reached an estimated altitude of between 60,000 and 80,000 feet.
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Credit Troy Hale
A GPS tracker shows the path of the balloon before it landed in Lake Erie near the Canadian shoreline.

This week we brought you the story of Troy Hale, a filmmaker and media instructor at Michigan State University.  He built a homemade weather balloon, minus the weather equipment.  Hale worked with the National Weather Service in Pontiac to launch the balloon, which was equipped with digital cameras to record the journey.  The balloon didn’t go as high as planned, but it traveled farther. 

Unfortunately, Hale doesn’t have his sought-after video.  He told WKAR’s Kevin Lavery about what happened.

  • MSU media specialist Troy Hale tells WKAR's Kevin Lavery about his balloon launch Thursday in Pontiac.