The Grand Canyon From the Stratosphere is Amazing

By Brian Kahn

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Weather balloons are a key cog in understanding the way air circulates around the planet. But it turns out there are other, more fun (for an average person, anyway) uses for them as well. Like say, capturing GoPro footage of the Grand Canyon from the stratosphere. As it turns out, five friends set out to do exactly that, though they had to wait two years for the footage to be found in the Arizona desert.

According to a user on Reddit, he sent a weather balloon to dizzying heights reserved for flight test pilots and astronauts on their way to the International Space Station. It's payload included a GoPro, a GPS-enabled phone and a 3-D printed case to hold it's precious payload. The goal was capture a spectacular view of the Grand Canyon and as their YouTube video shows, mission accomplished.

However, their plan hit a snag when cell phone outages caused them to lose track of the GPS. According to the account on Reddit, the footage was stranded in the desert for two years until a hiker happened upon the phone in the desert and after some help from the AT&T store, the phone and GoPro footage made it to their rightful owner two years later.

While the view from the heights is amazing, the balloon's tumble back to earth is also worth watching if you ever want to feel like Felix Baumgartner.