Snapping Selfies at 30,000 Feet

We recently reported on Joe Barnard’s model rocket that ejects a camera to snap a selfie at 30,000 feet. As you might expect, there are many details that go into a complex build of this magnitude. As such, only so much could be said about it in the initial project video. But now, Barnard has released a new video presenting a deep dive of the most important part of the entire system: the camera.

The camera is housed in a compact, flat pod — which Barnard calls a “Pop-Tart” — that houses all of the hardware. The primary engineering challenge is keeping the camera oriented toward the rocket after it is violently ejected at high altitude. To solve this, Barnard implemented a mechanical gyroscope built around a custom-machined brass flywheel. Weighing roughly 30 grams and spun by a 12V brushed motor, the system provides passive stabilization without relying on complex control algorithms.

That simplicity, however, came at a cost. Early prototypes suffered from severe vibration due to slight imperfections in machining. In one case, imbalance in the flywheel caused enough shaking to melt the motor housing. Attempts to isolate the motor using a flexible mount only made matters worse by amplifying oscillations. The final solution was simple but effective: rigidly securing the motor with hot glue to dampen unwanted movement.

The camera itself is a stripped-down action camera modified for weight and space constraints. Its lens is connected via a ribbon cable, allowing flexible placement within the pod. Because the system must survive high-speed impact, delicate components such as the SD card interface are reinforced with fiberglass and epoxy. The camera is mounted using small dabs of hot glue, which act as a crude but effective shock absorber.

There were still issues to solve, however. The brushed motor generated significant electrical noise, corrupting video footage during early tests. Barnard addressed this with a combination of capacitors, inductors, and filtering circuits, along with careful wire routing to prevent interference with the camera’s ribbon cable. Even small layout changes — like separating power wires from signal lines — made a noticeable difference.

Power management also required iteration. An initial four-cell battery setup delivered too much voltage for some onboard electronics, prompting a switch to a three-cell configuration. Meanwhile, a small programmable timer coordinates the sequence of events, including spinning up the gyroscope and triggering the camera at precisely the right moment.

To snap an image, a servo-driven release sends the pod flying free, while a pull-pin switch activates the electronics upon ejection. A simple streamer slows descent, improving the odds of recovery.

When working in extreme conditions, capturing even a few seconds of stable, high-speed footage is a huge task. Be sure to check out the video below for more details about how Barnard got the job done.