Father and Son Launch Balloon with HD Camera Into Space

Forget NASA; this father-and-son team is taking space exploration into their own hands.

The Brooklyn Space Program, a group of amateur scientists led by Luke Geissbuhler and his 7-year-old son, Max, recently launched a weather balloon into the stratosphere. The best part? They attached an HD camera that captured the whole thing.

The custom-build insulated capsule protected the camera from subzero temperatures (with the help of hand-warmers). The team also included an iPhone with GPS capabilities that allowed them to track the capsule after it landed.

After flying to a peak altitude of 100,000 feet -- and battle 100-mile-per-hour winds -- the capsule landed about 30 miles from the launch site. It hurtled back to the ground at 150 mph, before a specially-designed parachute slowed its decent to 15 mph.