The main event on 4 August was ‘the
atmospheric rehearsal for the most sustainable
and longest Aerocene flight’. In other words,
the launch of a solar hybrid sculpture, designed
to fly night and day around the world. A tetra-
shaped balloon, called Aerides, was on this
occasion joined by three helium-filled balloons
that would give the sculpture an extra lift,
and allow the flight to continue once the sun
set and the fabric structure began to deflate.
Appended to the helium balloons was a tracker
that captured atmospheric and geolocation
data, as well as imagery, all transmitted back
to Earth via a radio communication protocol
called APRS. A call sign, shared on the internet,
then allowed the general public to see the
tracker’s feedback in real time. Here, we look
at the tracker’s images and trace the sculpture’s
path as it took off from Helenesee beach in
Brandenburg, drifted across the German border
into the heart of Poland, and through the clouds
up to a height of 12,000m. Up, up and away.