Page 6 - Cluster Balloon News Today : Breaking News, Live Updates & Top Stories | Vimarsana

Nearly 19 miles above the earth on its 95-minute voyage. >> at the very end, the balloon is stretched to its absolute maximum capacity. it was about 22 feet in diameter. it's enormous. a little craft below it. >> 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 now 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...

Staged, we put them in clusters of five. then you start assembling the groups of five into larger assemblies of 15 or 20. >> once everything checks out, couch kisses his wife and, with cameras rolling, begins the ascent. >> for the most part, i can't steer myself. that's what i like about this little cluster ballooning thing. you just go where the winds take you. >> the thing you wouldn't realize is how peaceful it is up there. it's super quiet. he's traveling at the same speed of the wind. even when he was moving at 50 miles an hour, he could set a napkin on his knee, and it wouldn't go anywh...

Balloon, the two kids, max and his best friend, myles, were just so excited. >> we bought like some lollipops so me and myles were really hyped up. >> the kids give this really great countdown. >> ten, nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, zero, blast off! >> we cut off the balloon. then it goes up. >> it started rocking wildly like crazy. it was going about 25 feet a second. it was pretty fast. after about two minutes, it disappeared into the clouds. >> they track the craft's coordinates. but that's no guarantee they'll be able to retrieve it. >> the batteries in the phone cou...

>> despite missing the mark, he knows he's still broken his previous record. so couch prepares to land. >> you've got to have a way to make sure you can get these balloons popped on the way down. my preference is a daisy red rider bb gun. >> it only takes a couple of balloons to change him from ascending to descending. >> i'm coming in on a gradual descent. i'm looking for an open area. no fences or wires or houses or roads. that's what i'm hoping for. >> couch touches down in cambridge, idaho, to a hero's welcome. his new cluster balloon distance record, 235 miles. >> so i think the next flig...

A little craft below it. >> 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 now 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 to heavier air. >> at one point, it rocked head over heels. even though it didn't have head or heels. it...