Cheapest satellite launch costs $50 million but he only spent £4000

Pictures from space with a digital camera worth a few hundred quid

A father-of-three from Huddersfield has captured images of earth from space using a weather balloon.

Starting in October 2008, 38-year-old Robert Harrison filled 12 High Altitude Balloons with helium and launched them 35 kilometres into the atmosphere.

Having wrapped a digital camera and Global Positioning System device in loft insulation and linked it to computer software on the ground, he was able to track the balloons’ progress.

He said: “The first time I saw the pictures, I couldn’t believe it.”

The rare images caught the attention of experts in the field and it wasn’t long before Harrison received a telephone call from NASA.  

In total, the project cost Harrison £4000 and he believes the achievement was worth every penny.