Show HN: We chased a weather balloon across Montana and never found it
Two hobbyists documented their attempt to launch a weather balloon payload named UpLink across Montana to test 3D-printed insulation and radio image transmission. Despite failing to recover the balloon, the project successfully generated open-source hardware designs and firmware documentation.
Why it matters
This demonstrates the accessibility of high-altitude ballooning for independent engineering projects and the value of open-source collaboration in amateur science.
Since April, I have been working with Sam Flynn ( ) to make this balloon payload, UpLink. We did a similar launch last year with Hack Club but this was our first independent launch. UpLink was a 491 gram payload testing the insulation properties of 3D printing filaments, while also transmitting 320x240 images over a radio link -- up from the 18x10 images last year! This is a writeup on our engineering process, mistakes made, and learning experiences.
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