UK balloon visible at long range?

Sorry its a little off-topic for this NG
but according to today's Daily Mirror the QinetiQ1 ballon when/if it
reaches 132,000ft [25miles] - it should be visible from 300 miles from
St Ives Cornwall over 11 hour flight - ballon larger than Empire State
Building - NY.

Perhaps this could be a good target for distant astronomers for a
photo? Worth a tryg. I make London, Sheffield, Liverpool,
Douglas IOM and maybe Belfast within 300 mile radius assuming a
perfectly clear horizon. The best I've done for a modest weather
balloon is 40miles range via my scope whilst scanning for Mercury at
pre-dusk.

Just a word of caution regarding Daily Mirror fact - yesterday they
said crew would wear spacesuits to withstand -700C !!!! Parky

On Tue, 02 Sep 2003 14:26:38 GMT, (Maurice Gavin)
wrote:

Just a word of caution regarding Daily Mirror fact - yesterday they
said crew would wear spacesuits to withstand -700C !!!! Parky

More than absolutely!
--
Pete
Homepage at http://www.pbl33.co.uk
CCD/digicam astronomy

On Tue, 02 Sep 2003 14:26:38 GMT, (Maurice Gavin)
wrote:


Just a word of caution regarding Daily Mirror fact - yesterday they
said crew would wear spacesuits to withstand -700C !!!! Parky

I think the suits were designed to work in -700, not that these
lunatics were going to see those temperatures
Looking for astro bits and eyepieces?
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On Tue, 2 Sep 2003 15:09:31 +0000 (UTC),
wrote:

On Tue, 02 Sep 2003 14:26:38 GMT, (Maurice Gavin)
wrote:


Just a word of caution regarding Daily Mirror fact - yesterday they
said crew would wear spacesuits to withstand -700C !!!! Parky

I think the suits were designed to work in -700, not that these
lunatics were going to see those temperatures

Probably not seeing as -700C is 427C below absolute zero!

--
Pete
Homepage at http://www.pbl33.co.uk
CCD/digicam astronomy

Maurice Gavin wrote:
Just a word of caution regarding Daily Mirror fact - yesterday they
said crew would wear spacesuits to withstand -700C

Tee hee. Typesetter can't tell the difference between a zero and a
degree sign.

Best,
Stephen

--
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JRS: In article , seen in
news:uk.sci.astronomy, Maurice Gavin posted at Tue,
2 Sep 2003 14:26:38 :-

Just a word of caution regarding Daily Mirror fact - yesterday they
said crew would wear spacesuits to withstand -700C !!!! Parky

That is presumably -70 degrees centigrade, with the degree sign fallen
and expanded. Had it been Celsius, the problem should not have
occurred.

For a height of 40 km, I make the elevation 2.3 degrees from 500 km
away, and marginally less than nothing from 712 km.

--
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Web URL:http://www.merlyn.demon.co.uk/ - FAQqish topics, acronyms & links;
some Astro stuff via astro.htm, gravity0.htm; quotes.htm; pascal.htm; &c, &c.
No Encoding. Quotes before replies. Snip well. Write clearly. Don't Mail News.

Looks like only visible by seabirds off the launch boat.

It seems to have split!

Hope they try again,

Kevin
www.kevsmith.com
www.siriusobservatoriesuk.com
DayStar Filters UK
Lille Coronographs, telecentrics, and Herschel wedges.

"Kevin Smith" wrote in message
...

Tee hee. Typesetter can't tell the difference between a zero and a
degree sign.

Best,
Stephen

Youve got it!

Kevin

"Doug Ellison" wrote in message ...
Launch was due for today but was pushed back to tomorrow as tomorrows
weather looks a little less cloudy (and thus less ice will form on the
envelope - possibly dozens of tonnes of it !)

I'm certainly taking my Bino's to work and hoping to catch sight of it mid
to late morning

Doug

It'll be interesting – heard on the radio this AM that the launch has
been put back to next year.
This is due to a leak in the balloon (which is pretty much what Kevin
said, I suppose ;-)
--
Simon
51:31N 0:38W
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On 3 Sep 2003 02:36:36 -0700, (SimonP) wrote:

"Doug Ellison" wrote in message ...
Launch was due for today but was pushed back to tomorrow as tomorrows
weather looks a little less cloudy (and thus less ice will form on the
envelope - possibly dozens of tonnes of it !)

I'm certainly taking my Bino's to work and hoping to catch sight of it mid
to late morning

Doug

It'll be interesting – heard on the radio this AM that the launch has
been put back to next year.
This is due to a leak in the balloon (which is pretty much what Kevin
said, I suppose ;-)

Yeah I was a little disappointed, i really wanted to see this

Looking for astro bits and eyepieces?
http://www.stores.ebay.co.uk/astrobitsandpieces
http://members.ebay.co.uk/aboutme/orpheus1959

Dr John Stockton wrote in
:


For a height of 40 km, I make the elevation 2.3 degrees from 500 km
away, and marginally less than nothing from 712 km.

Yes, I posted in the last thread about this

"I would like to see it, but surely 25 miles up is no great height, an
elevation of 30% would surely only give a visible track of about 100
miles."

but made no impression; Im a long way from being expert, so perhaps someone
will comment on likely visibility

mike r