Abstract
Experimental payloads on high altitude balloons are subject to significant atmospheric turbulence, resulting in both payload rotation and swing. This turbulence makes it difficult to achieve a high-quality video recording from any balloon-based system in the lower atmosphere, especially a 360° video which requires relative stability to ensure effective post-processing. In particular, experiments that rely on targeted footage have often been hampered due to erratic video footage caused by random payload movement at altitude. Here we discuss a project built by undergraduate students from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, that reduces both swing and rotation of payloads on high altitude balloon missions. We show how to create a system that can be used to record high-quality photography and video, which can supplement experiments where stabilization is needed. During the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017, a high altitude balloon payload was configured to record photos and video from the upper atmosphere using a custom-built camera rig. The rig carried and stabilized seven cameras in such an arrangement that their individual footage could be stitched together into a smooth 360°, panoramic video, with minimal image fluctuations due to atmospheric turbulence. As the next eclipse quickly approaches in 2024, the team hopes that their successes and failures may serve as a reference point for students attempting a similar project in the future.
Payload Stabilization System for Improved High-Quality Photography
Experimental payloads on high altitude balloons are subject to significant atmospheric turbulence, resulting in both payload rotation and swing. This turbulence makes it difficult to achieve a high-quality video recording from any balloon-based system in the lower atmosphere, especially a 360° video which requires relative stability to ensure effective post-processing. In particular, experiments that rely on targeted footage have often been hampered due to erratic video footage caused by random payload movement at altitude. Here we discuss a project built by undergraduate students from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, that reduces both swing and rotation of payloads on high altitude balloon missions. We show how to create a system that can be used to record high-quality photography and video, which can supplement experiments where stabilization is needed. During the Total Solar Eclipse of 2017, a high altitude balloon payload was configured to record photos and video from the upper atmosphere using a custom-built camera rig. The rig carried and stabilized seven cameras in such an arrangement that their individual footage could be stitched together into a smooth 360°, panoramic video, with minimal image fluctuations due to atmospheric turbulence. As the next eclipse quickly approaches in 2024, the team hopes that their successes and failures may serve as a reference point for students attempting a similar project in the future.