The physics club at my school is sending a balloon to space (near-space technically, but it's close enough). They needed a counterweight for the payload to keep it balanced, so I offered up my HP Prime, which is the right weight. To fit the theme of Cats, I will have a Nyan Cat animation written in HPPPL on the screen. I'm afraid that I won't actually have pictures of the calculator in space because the cameras aren't pointing at the counterweight, but I will post pictures and video of it leaving the ground and retrieving the balloon (hopefully).

How will this contest be a game that can be played by the judges?

But besides the contest part, I hope you get your calc back in one piece Looking forward for a video/pictures. (I still question the usage of something that expensive as a counterweight)

How High Can You Send a Calculator: The Game
You can watch the Admins play the game here.

For the question of why, I really want to be able to truthfully say that my calculator has been to space.

I'm very impressed by this, and you will surely be hired by the Cemetech Space Program should the attempt be successful. Like AHelper, I hope the calculator comes back safely and in one piece. The only other calculator I know of going even close to space was either a TI-83+ or TI-84+ that went to the ISS.

The Prime is lost! We believe that the tracking device fell at about 80 thousand feet up due to a far overinflated balloon, so we lost the payload. We hope that the secondary tracking device attached to the payload starts transmitting, and it's very possible that we can get it back. Luckily, to keep the calc secure it was wrapped in several layers of duct tape so it should be safe from precipitation.

Oh no, I hope things work out! I hope you'll let us know if and when you find the calculator. How long does it generally take for the secondary tracking device to start transmitting?

We don't know if it will is the sad part. It may never start, but if it does transmit it will probably be tonight

But... but... an HP Prime?

I have pictures and stuff!
Prime before attachment to the payload:

Prime before launch:

Tying off the neck of the balloon (I'm the guy at the bottom leftish with the hair):

Balloon rising:


An additional note:

I learned a lot about simulations and physics from doing an analysis of the balloon flight, and a lot of the people who helped out with the launch would say that they learned a lot and had a lot of fun.

Whoa! That is pretty sweet! Were you guys able to tell how high the balloon reached? Did it go past 80,000 feet? That is awesome!

We don't know how high it reached because we don't know when the tracking device fell off. When we find the balloon, we can use a model of the wind that day to find the approximate height it reached.

Do you still anticipate that you'll be able to find the balloon (and payload, namely your excellent HP Prime)?

Yep. We are going to drive along the line which it is predicted to land on, and if we don't find it then, then it's very likely that a farmer will find it in the spring and call the number. No promises that the prime will work after that but regardless it'll be in the oven at like 140 for a while to drive out any moisture.

That's a sign of initiative. *clap*

Hope you find your calc.

Wait what??


Oh wait... 'murica.


Anyway it sucks that you could not find your calc again. D:

A number of HP calculators have been in space.

https://hpinspace.wordpress.com/

http://airandspace.si.edu/collections/artifact.cfm?object=nasm_A19890003000

http://www.hpmuseum.org/adverts/41shutt.jpg

-wes

I just might do that.......... I know enough about hardware and programming to send my calc to space. If I do, it will be with a GoPro. Maybe I will do it with a rocket....... Yeah! That would work! Time to start another project.... Here we go!

Wow... this sounds awesome. Wish I could've been there....
Hope you find your calc!

If you want to get technical, of course calculators have gone up to space on space flights and stuff. But in the context of our website, what I think Kerm actually meant was that the only other graphing calculator that he knows of was a TI-83+ or 84+.