In 2013 I took my wife and kids, brother and his kids, and my parents on an adventure launching a hydrogen filled balloon.
The balloon started at about six feet in diameter, and once it reached its burst height, it was over thirty-five feet in diameter.
We were able to get it to over 108,000 feet over Cheyenne, Wyoming. The pictures taken by my GoPro are amazing, and the video is dizzying. Watch the video here:
The flight took about two hours. I was able to track it using APRS, a method of transmitting GPS information over Ham Radio.
It took about a year and a half to design and build the balloon from initial concept to launch.