Fascinating stuff - am looking forward to his website coming back onstream to have a good look.
I suppose I am a bit surprised that he's allowed to do it though. OK his camera has a parachute, but what happens if it fails - you've effectively got a techno-meteorite heading earthbound at very high speed. Is anyone checking that he's half-way competent to do this stuff? Not sure I'd be very keen if my next door neighbour was using this technique to photograph his house...
Presumably if the device travels so high, then there must be a pretty expansive area over which it might come down.
The description of the helium balloon being a meter in diameter at ground level, then expanding as it rises until it bursts, gives me an image of hooligans inflating dozens of weather balloons with helium, tying on a half-brick, then letting them all go over a city, just for kicks...
David