Horus, an amateur high altitude balloon project has reached new heights, 21.78 miles to be exact. The project sends a balloon as high as they can to take pictures, video, take readings. Some of the pictures are impressive.
11 launches so far. Horus 7 made it the highest, at 21.78 miles. The team has a well documented website concerning their project. they even provide some source code for their balloons onboard controls.
I particularly enjoyed watching the video produced from their Horus 11 launch.
Cabe