We used a digital camera controlled by a Motorola MPC-555 board.

We designed and built the system to develop FEGI's computer system and its interfaces to outside components. In addition to the pictures, it stored data on temperature and acceleration, and ran a small experiment with a motor moving between sensors.

We traveled to Colorado to launch it at the SHOT II workshop. The payload (along with those from other schools) went on a high-altitude balloon to around 105,000 feet, and came back down. There was a GPS transmitter also on the balloon, and we tracked it to a cow pasture where we hiked for around 2 miles (dodging cactii) to retrieve it.

The parachute failed on the way down, and it hit pretty hard:

before after

The camera was attached to the wall right where the impact occurred, and was damaged. It did not talk to the computer when we plugged in the USB port. We used a digital "disposable" camera (see the link above), since once the case was removed, it is just a PCB board with a lens, ideal for fitting in the small space. Unfortunately, this meant the flash memory storing the pictures was soldered directly on the board, and not removable from the camera.

Eventually, I realized our only chance for getting pictures was to transplant the flash memory chip into a working camera. I convinced one of my FEGI teammates, Max Hunter, to do this, and he spent all afternoon with a microscope and soldering iron. Amazingly, it worked, and we got our pictures.

the flash chip in its new home