Category: Phase Three: Exploration

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. Continue reading “Looking Back, Looking Forward”

The fifth and final is complete.

This launch was probably one of the hardest challenges I have ever undertaken. 72 hours prior to the launch, I still had to build a new housing for the cameras and trackers, find a way to safely hold the 360° camera and attach a battery pack to it, which still needed to be bought, purchase a regulator for the Helium gas tank and learn how to use it, purchase all of the additional miscellaneous essentials, and many other things that were on this list due to a bunch of bad luck. With no other options, I put my head down and started preparing for my own little Mission: Impossible. Continue reading “Mission 5: Operation Dragon”

This mission was meant to be the best, as everything was meticulously organized this morning, we were on schedule for a perfect launch with perfect conditions, but fate was not on our side. Our first problem was the delay. Since we were launching from the weather service at the airport, we had to wait until they were finished with their launch before we could do anything. This pushed the launch back by two hours. No matter.

Continue reading “Mission 4: Operation Falcon”

Mission 3: Success (sort of)

Due to some rather poor judgement from my sleep deprived mind, this morning was much more chaotic than I could have ever imagined. It ended up being one hour before I was meant to be releasing the balloon, and I still hadn’t made a harness for the housing. Since I had cut the hole for the GoPro in the wrong place last night, I had to redesign the harness and quickly take it to The Cottage Shop and beg and plead for them to help me out. And they did. Gavin (who runs the shop with his mom), was absolutely incredible and got the entire harness built in an hour and a half, which was by no means an easy feat.

Continue reading “Mission 3: Operation Dove”

Over the past few days I’ve been building the housing and trying to get the parachute made as well as possible, as this will be the final version, however there have been some delays, which resulted in more stress, which is what I wanted to avoid. We will be launching tomorrow from Intermet, and the parachute was only completed around 7pm this evening, which put a huge spanner in the works, as I wanted it finished and ready to go by yesterday. Despite the fact that it was late, it looked really incredible and was half the weight of the first parachute we made! Continue reading “Back To Building”

A few days ago I picked up the polystyrene boxes which will be used for the housing, and they were perfect. I’ve had some ideas on how to make the box, but it is tricky, because I want to try and make the opening for the lens wide enough so that the camera doesn’t capture the hole opening, like it did in the previous launch. Also, I want to try and place the camera at a 30° down angle, so that it can capture more of the earth. In order to achieve these two objectives, I am going to try and make a template for the camera’s FOV, then spray Polyurethane around a model camera that I make out of Polystyrene, which will hopefully make for a nice, rigid and insulated holder for the camera. Continue reading “Not Quite Lighter Than Air”