I’ve been thinking a lot about the cameras. In order to get good quality footage, I will need cameras that can withstand drastic temperatures, be light, compact and be able to deliver amazing footage. GoPro is by far the best option and is the go-to camera for most armature balloonists.
I have a choice. Either I can send up my own GoPro that I got for my birthday and risk losing what has got to be one of the best presents I have ever received, or I can buy a new GoPro, which will blow my budget, or I can use that money to get three other cameras second hand and potentially get an older GoPro that is not as good, but is still excellent. The latter seems the logical decision to any sane person.
However, I might still have a way. It is a long shot and will probably get no response, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I typed up a letter to GoPro and sent it via their website, to see if it would be possible to get sponsorship for a GoPro.
Here is what I sent
Hello,
Over the next few months, I will be undertaking a project, where the goal is to get to space. Nearly.
I am a grade 12 student at the Constantia Waldorf School (www.waldorfconstantia.org.za), and as part of our curriculum, each student has to undertake an individual project that will challenge him/her… I have always wanted to get to space, contradicting my teacher’s advice to the class that “The sky is the limit”. I am told that I am crazy and will never be able to do it, however I am in the final stages of the project and have mentors from the head of the South African Weather Service and the national supplier for all meteorological weather balloon launches (Intermet Africa). We will be sending up weather balloons to capture images of the earth, as seen from space. These balloons rise above 100,000ft (some exceeding 120,000ft), which will enable us to record the beauty of the planet, along with the dark universe of starts above it.
However, there are a few problems that still need to be overcome in terms of recording the event:
The first is the weight. Most of the high quality (2K/4K) cameras today are quite heavy, which is not ideal as the payload for each launch is limited to 1500g (53oz) or less. The payload has to include a tracker (as we will be recovering the package), a parachute, an onboard battery, sensory cameras, radar reflector and radio broadcast for real-time GPS location. According to the plans, the cameras should not exceed 150g (5.3oz).
The second problem is strength and toughness. The camera has to be robust enough to withstand -20-30 degrees Celsius, and potentially a small knock on impact.
Lastly, the camera has to be of good quality (2Kp – 4Kp), as the resulting footage will need to be stabilized (as the camera will be spinning in a box), warped and potentially cropped to a cinematic anamorphic ratio of 2.39:1. All of these post production works will result in the quality being reduced, and if the resolution is not high enough, the final shot will less than desirable.
After searching vigorously over the net for cameras that fit these requirements, I keep only getting one result that will be possible to attain. The GoPro. It is the right weight, it is robust, durable, high quality and all in all seems up to the challenge.
By now I think you know what I am going to say next. I am sure you get many requests per day with people, be it students, adventurers, athletes, etc. writing long letters explaining why it would be the most “awesome” and “exhilarating” thing if they could get a GoPro because they can’t afford it, and how they would use it for their adventures, and memories, etc. But for some reason they keep getting rejected, which I assume is because there is no benefit for the company at all, which is a logical decision. However, I have never been one to settle for the easy or for the small. To me the sky is not the limit and nothing I plan to do is on a small scale. Undertaking this project in a place like South Africa is a unique experience, as the only people who really get to launch weather balloons to the edge of space are the scientists who work for the weather service. This means that I will be able to get a lot of media coverage for this (social media, video sharing platforms, website, blog, local newspaper, online news, etc.), which I plan to do in order to try and inspire the younger generation in what lies beyond this world.
As I said previously, I am a student, with a student budget (none existent) and there is no way I could afford the last piece of equipment needed to complete a project of worldly proportions. However, what I do have is the potential for widespread media coverage (which I would be able to easily show off the camera used [advertising]), semi-professional video footage: edited and unedited, which could be used for any video, commercial, or photo as desired by the company, and lastly, the opportunity for a story. The story of the camera that went to space and back.
I am not expecting anything. I can’t, because usually with expectancy comes disappointment. However I do believe in people, in success and (sometimes) in miracles. No matter what the response to this, if any, I will not stop trying and I will find a way, be it the long hard route, or the long hard route with a helping hand.
My only hope is that this gets passed on to someone who reads it, hears it, and understands it.
As I said, it’s a long shot, but it doesn’t hurt to try.
In the meantime I will start looking for other cameras on second hand stores such as Gumtree or BidorBuy.
