P3D RE: P3D Re: Floating 3D

[Cliff Mugnier <cjmce@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

There is a guy in Arizona that has a business for doing stereo aerial 
photography from tethered balloons.  (Or he HAD a business a year or two 
ago ... Haven't heard from him lately.)

Clifford J. Mugnier (cjmce@xxxxxxx)
The Topographic Engineering Laboratory
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS
New Orleans, Louisiana  70148 -2212
Voice and Facsimile:   (504) 280-7095


-----Original Message-----
From:	Greg Erker [SMTP:erker@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx]
Sent:	Thursday, December 18, 1997 10:56 AM
To:	Multiple recipients of list
Subject:	P3D Re: Floating 3D

>Does anyone know the lifting power of the average helium-filled party 
balloon?
>
>I was pondering the idea of making a couple of ulta-light cameras for 
hyper
>stereo shots from the air. I feel it's possible to construct cameras out 
of
>cardboard for single shot application, say spaced two feet apart. The
>shutter would be a simple gullotine arrangement, with simple plastic
>meniscus lenses.
>
>Think 10 balloons would do it?

>From a quickie web search:

Helium, a by-product of natural gas production,
has a lifting capacity of 1.02 kg/m3
(0.0640 lb/ft3).  [from the Airship FAQ]

---
  I assume you need to include the weight
of the balloons. If you use rubber balloons
(rather than mylar) the helium will be
slightly compressed and have a bit less
lift.

  I'd guess that 10 balloons wouldn't
be enough. Perhaps 50?

Greg E.



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