This is the kind of evidence that slays me -- slays my belief that Earth is a globe, that is.
Simple mathematics. High-zoom cameras (which weren't cheap enough or widely available even 30 years ago). Drones, weather balloons with wireless communications, onboard computers (how long has the Raspberry Pi been around? Not that long), cheap SDcard storage, etc.
With off the shelf components -- putting together components like legos or building blocks, rather than making everything from scratch -- we're approaching the point where a group of 1-3 guys can be a "mini NASA" and do a pretty decent mission high in the sky. Pictures, recordings, measurements, you name it.
Arduino makes creating a "system" almost easy. You can plug so many modules and sensors into it, and the software is free on the Internet. Run out of input lines? Upgrade to a better Arduino-compatible microcontroller for $20 more. And did I mention all your existing software will continue to just work? You get to stand on the shoulders of giants, as it were. You can focus on the problem you're trying to solve (or experiment you're trying to do) rather than getting lost in low-level rabbit holes like getting a camera to respond to a given microprocessor, etc.