It’s not often a satellite lands in your backyard, but that’s nearly what happened to a rural Port Hope resident on Saturday.
Doug Smith who lives on Knoxville Road looked out his front window of his residence on Saturday, November 6, 2021 and saw three vehicles parked along the roadside.
Smith who lives along the peaceful road can certainly understand why people would want to stop in the picturesque area, but given the hydro towers nearby, it peaked his curiosity to check.
After speaking to the individuals they told him a helium balloon (high altitude payload/satellite) had landed on the top wire of the hydro tower that appeared to be at least 30 metres in height.
The balloon was from a Newmarket group called NewMakeIt Build Club and was the third balloon launched into near space by the group.
Fred Luchetti from the group came down on Monday morning to pick up the satellite at Smith’s home.
Exiting his vehicle, Luchetti couldn’t wait to check on the satellite laying in Smith’s driveway.
“This is the third satellite we’ve sent up into near space.”
But it’s the first record the group has for sending a satellite to over 100,000 feet.
To be exact, 101,295 feet.
The balloon is a standard weather balloon that can be bought at various stores.
It’s filled with helium and a payload is attached and then launched.
The payload is critically calculated for the right height. Weather balloons typically pop at approximately 100,000 feet.
The parachute slows the device as it re-enters the atmosphere.
“We figure when it came down a gust of wind through it into the wires and the parachute just dropped and coiled itself around the high-voltage wires.”
Luchetti said the flight was special for two reasons.
The group was donated a Insta360 camera which will allow a total 360 degree view from the flight.
But the more personnel aspect for Luchetti, some of his son’s ashes were on-board for the flight.
His son Kyle was 27-years-old when he passed away in October from Muscular Dystrophy.
Kyle was involved in the Build Club and helped with the second satellite.
Luchetti said the first satellite, “was just to prove we could do it.”
‘The second and third was, we had so much fun doing the first one, let’s do some more.”
The concept was also that Kyle’s ashes were to be deployed in the upper atmosphere.
“But that never happened because we couldn’t find a delivery mechanism that would do that.”
Luchetti is hopeful that when the next satellite launches on May 24, the group will have developed a way to release the ashes as it will be his son’s birthday.
Following the launch on Saturday in Bradford, a number of people in the group followed the satellite which had approximately a two-hour flight time before it came to rest on the hydro wires.
“When the recovery team came and saw it in the hydro wires – oh my goodness.”
Luchetti said the dollar signs just started going through their heads about the possibility of having to get a helicopter to retrieve the device.
“The running joke was Kyle was up there screwing with us.”
Luckily it fell during the night and Smith found it, retrieved it and called the group.
Even though the group if basically for fun, they have to know what they are doing.
For anyone who thinks of doing what NewMakeIt is doing – there is a lot more to it then filling a balloon with helium and watching it take off.
“You have to file all kinds of paper-work with Nav Canada, telling them how high you’re going to go and where you’re predicted to go.”
There is even software available online to plot where you’re going to land given the weather.
“The first balloon we landed we were 30-kilometres away from prediction to landing. The second one was five-kilometres.”
Luchetti said, “I’m dying to get back and plug that camera into the computer and see what I got.”
The world record for a high-altitude-payload is 137,000 feet.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
