On Thu, Mar 25, 2010 at 7:26 PM, ivp wrote: > He says each 'mission' costs around UKP500, compared with 300 > million for a shuttle flight. A good rate if a photo is all you wanted, > although even 500 sounds expensive. Surely the only expendable > is the balloon and gas > Helium is very expensive. I once bough enough to fill three 1meter diameter balloons (total of about 1500 liters) and it cost about $25 US. Another $20 or so for the tank rental. I'm sure it can be had for around 1/10th the price if you are a high-volume industrial user but this guy isn't. -- http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist