The techno whizz, who spent just £500 getting his incredible snaps with a standard camera and some duct tape, had some of NASA's finest minds baffled by his brilliance.

And bosses at the US space agency, who pump millions each year into their research, were so impressed they got in touch to see exactly how it was done.

Robert, 38, who works as an IT director in Leeds, took the pictures with a camera launched 35km above the planet's surface on a weather balloon.

He said: "NASA had heard what was happening and wanted to know how I'd done it so cheaply. People think this is something that costs millions but it doesn't.

"You just need a bit of technical know-how. I know nothing about electronics and what I do know, I learned from the internet.

"My family and friends thought I was a bit mad a first but they were suitably impressed with the results.

"The pictures speak for themselves, they put everything into perspective."

Dad-of-three Robert has launched 12 High Altitude Balloons since October 2008.

The idea grew from a first failed effort to take aerial photos of his house using a remote control helicopter.

After some extensive research, he launched his first balloon, named Icarus I, in October 2008, and has since been taking shots of over 1,000 miles of the Earth's surface.

Robert controls the balloon with a GPS tracking device linked to a radio transmitter.

He links his digital camera to computer software on the ground and wraps both the camera and the GPS device in loft insulation from a local DIY store.

As the balloon rises through the atmosphere, increasing air pressure causes it to expand, until it parachutes back down to earth.

He said: "We got satisfactory results with the first launch but it nearly landed in the sea, which would have been game over.

"We were sat in a local pub at the time and I was gobsmacked when I got the images, seeing the highest pictures was amazing – that's a lifetime achievement."