Page 22 - Cluster Balloon News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Balloons. i have never done that. the funny thing is usually i use a lawn chair because it's comfortable and i can lean back. it's red neck and i'm kind of red neck. >> there are some federal aviation rules to follow. but remarkably, as long as couch's aircraft stays under 254 pounds, he doesn't have to register with the faa. but couch does need some technical assistance. >> my friend has done a great job of making everything work. he's a techie guy. >> it might look unsafe, but a lot of care and attention has gone to make it very safe. >> cluster ballooning has come a long way since it was fi...

>> it got like that big. because the pressure lightens as you get up. there isn't a lot of oxygen. and the air is very thin. >> the pressure of the helium inside the balloon is much greater than the surrounding air pressure, so it continues to expand until finally, the balloon pops. and the craft comes plummeting back to earth at more than 100 miles an hour. >> so the parachute deploys maybe 30 seconds after the balloon bursts. it doesn't do anything until it gets the heavier air. >> at one point, it rocked head over heels. even though it didn't have head or heels. it was pretty amazing becaus...

Each time it made things a little better. just learning from the previous flight. >> i started using a pilot's parachute, which is nice and comfortable. we got more security and safety. better communication between the ground crew. >> july 5, 2008. kent couch attempts to fly from bend, oregon, to boise, idaho, and break his record of 193 miles traveled in a cluster balloon. >> on launch day, we had to be up at 3:30 in the morning. >> it's usually about 50 to 70 volunteers that make this thing work. we'd normally have four or six helium stations. each station had four people on it. >> it takes ...

Fortunately, it lands only 30 miles north of the launch site. they are able to retrieve the footage. >> to be totally honest, we got a little sick watching it. we were eating and watching it at our kitchen table the first time. we were so focused on the screen and eating at the same time. >> but once it reaches the stratosphere, everything levels out. >> we were shooting from about 80,000 feet. twice as high as a plane. three times as high as a plane. >> the craft peaks at 100,000 feet or nearly 19 miles above the earth on its 95-minute voyage. >> at the very end, the balloon is stretched to i...

>> we bought like some lollipops so me and miles were hyped up. >> the kids had a great countdown. >> three, two, one. blastoff. >> we cut off the balloon. >> it started rocking wildly like crazy. it was pretty fast. after about two minutes, it disappeared into the clouds. >> they tracked the craft's coordinates. but that's no guarantee they will be able to retrieve it. >> the batteries in the phone could freeze. it could just not give out signal and never find it. if it falls into anything that would block the transmission, it falls too deeply, it could lose reception. if it falls into water,...