I wouldn’t say this entry is a conclusion, as that would imply the end, or the completion of the project. This project still has a long way to go, and will open doors in the future. However this entry does mark the end of the first chapter, and just like anything in life, it is good to reflect on what you’ve done, where you are now, and where you are going.
I started the project with a goal in mind: to get to the edge of space in 360°. That goal quickly shifted, as I realized that it was too ambitious and expensive, and I would never be able to pull it off in the time-frame or without a team. I still stand by that and yet, my goal has been accomplished… It would have been impossible, had it not been for the overwhelming support from friends and family, colleagues and strangers. I have come to realize that this project has not just been about space exploration, but has been an exploration of the space and people around me, and making new connections.
When thinking about why I did this, what my reasoning was for it, I thought back to the first time I saw the 360° on YouTube. It was not great quality, it was slightly blurry, the landscape wasn’t that beautiful, and yet I was mesmerized and inspired. I wanted to do that. And now that I have, I want to inspire. I want to keep doing this, bigger and better, and if I inspire just one person, then it means it was a success.
So now it is time to acknowledge all the help I have received and thank those involved:
- To all the Indiegogo supporters, who backed my project, and made the impossible possible. What they have done has changed a life, which in turn, will change others. If any of you are reading this, I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart.
- To the individuals who have personally helped me in this project: Denise from The Cottage Shop, for all the help with the parachute building and her son Gavin for his amazing sewing skills and helping to build the payload harness. Jason Smith (who Rob Wyly referred me to), for his generous donation and support with using the GPS tracker, which saved the package multiple times. Timothy Hutchings from Tandem Skydive (who was referred by Amanda Dinan) for his Ripstop Nylon donation, tips and ideas for an improved parachute design. And to my dad, Julian (in a professional sense) for all the time he spent building the software for the tracking systems, which allowed for outside viewers to be a part of the mission!
- To the Waldorf community, the teachers, the students, the parents and my classmates, who have all been greatly supportive of this highly ambitious project and have assisted with it, thank you. Out of the students, I would like to make a special mention of is Benjamin Janowski, who has personally assisted me with a launch, given ideas towards the project and been generally very supportive. Thank you. And to Kerstin Sieckmann, for all her help with the administrative side of the project that I didn’t want to do, but needed to. You were a helping hand, and I want to thank you for that. Rannach, thank you also for the footage you took at my launch and to Layla and Ruby who helped me with the balloon.
- To some individuals who have gone above and beyond helping out, and have really personally invested in me and this project: Tom Van Den Bon from Binary Space Johannesburg, who I haven’t even met, and yet he has helped me out so much with tips and hints, couriering down vital parts for trackers and generally being very supportive and welcoming me into the HAB community of South Africa. Brendan Stein from Soapbox Films and a parent at the school, for his generosity and help with the 360° videos and viewing solutions, and for lending multiple VR headsets for my presentation, which will drastically improve the quality of the presentation. Thomas Knemeyer, for his great donation to the project and interest in it, as well as trying to get my story published to the press! I want to thank all of you, as you have opened doors for me, which I never even knew existed and without you, this project wouldn’t have been as big as it was.
- To my mentors: Nick Shaw, my internal mentor, for not being hard on me and giving me free reign on my project, thank you. Rian Smit and the Weather Service, for his ideas and help in the process, and donating hydrogen when we launched from the airport. Lastly, to Michael Talbot and Intermet Africa. Mike has helped me for months with launches, teaching me the software, how everything works, donating balloons and hydrogen, helping me retrieve one of the used radiosonde trackers that was then reliably used in every other mission and for his time and patience throughout the project with its dramas (and me and my dramas). Were it not for Michael, this project would not have been the same at all. I wouldn’t be close to where I am now in terms of understanding how everything works, I would have had limited launches and the project wouldn’t have been what it was. So Mike, thank you so much for everything, it has been life changing.
- Finally, to my extended family for all their encouragement and advice, and most importantly my family who have had to endure so much during the course of this project. Your support has been out of this world (pun intended). Despite all of your own projects that are a thousand times more important than mine, you often pushed them aside to help me, and I don’t think you realize how grateful I am for that and everything else. I could go on and say how this wouldn’t have been the same without you, but you already know that, as you have been a part of this project every step of the way. But one more time, for the records sake, thank you!
This project was impossible. However, as the “me” slowly changed to “we” and the “you” turned to “us”, so the word “impossible” was transformed too…
