An Aerocene Explorer kit has been tested by schoolkids in Herning, Denmark.
Continue readingWorkshops at the Herning Museum of Contemporary Art
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Aerocene Explorer and MAS Tetro launch in San Francisco
Students from the “Cloud Cities, and Other Possibilities” course at California College of the Arts, led by their instructor Joseph Becker, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art‘s associate curator of architecture and design, successfully floated two Aerocene sculptures.
Continue readingAerocene at the Antarctic Biennale
Two long-time Aerocene collaborators, Public Lab’s Nick Shapiro and Liz Barry, joined a group of artists, scientists, and technological visionaries on a nautical journey to mark the first Antarctic Biennale.
Continue reading4 March Schönfelde Launch – Thermal Imaging
4 March 2017 Schönfelde Launch: 51 Pegasi b, Schellin, and an Explorer Trio
Arriving in Schönfelde, a field in Brandenburg, Germany, just after sunrise, members of the Aerocene team met Radioamateurs Sven Steudte and Thomas Krahn, and quickly began setting up for our launch. Spirits were high – we brought five Aerocene solar sculptures to the site, hopeful that the weather conditions would allow for a series of successful launches.
The best time for launching sculptures is early in the morning, because at this time, wind speeds and outside temperatures are relatively low, both important factors in achieving a powerful lift. Each Aerocene sculpture floats without burning fossil fuels, without batteries, and without helium, hydrogen or other rare gases. Their thermodynamic rise utilises only the power of the Sun, air, and wind currents.
A trio of Aerocene Explorer sculptures was the first to be launched. Two of us held the Explorer open and started to run, sealing it quickly after it filled with collected air.
We repeated the process twice more, until three Explorers were filled and ready. Even though it was pretty overcast, the Sun broke through the clouds intermittently. The sculptures rested and became gradually heated by sunlight, until the temperature inside them rose higher than the surrounding air outside.
Once the Explorers sufficiently heated, they began to float. The temperature differential becomes acutely visible with the aid of an infrared camera, which detects the amount of heat emitting from people or objects.
Soon all three Explorers were in the air. Remaining afloat throughout the launch, the tethered family of sculptures danced through the air, their movements choreographed by the push and pull of the winds.
The 51 Pegasi b, a new large lightweight (9 g/sq. m) sculpture, began to inflate. As we planned to launch it without a tether, we had already secured flight permission and alerted aviation authorities to the flight.
In the days leading up to the launch, many people had tried to estimate where the Pegasi might land by checking weather forecasts and using the Float Predictor, a global forecasting system that utilises open meteorological data to predict the flight paths of Aerocene solar flying sculptures.
An online challenge was issued to try and predict the landing point of the Pegasi on this map.
After the Pegasi inflated, we attached its payload.
The payload comprised the following sensing devices: a Pican Pica tracker, SPOT satellite GPS tracker, a GoPro camera, APRS byonics, and a radar reflector. Thanks to Sven Steudte (Radioamateur) for providing his Pican Pica for this launch.
The Pegasi warmed in the Sun, and we prepared for lift off.
After running with the Pegasi, it soon began to rise. It was released into the sky, rapidly lifting and floating with the wind, away from sight.
The Pegasi’s float trajectory was tracked on the APRS website.
Wilhelm-Hack-Museum (Ludwigshafen, Germany) and Museum Haus Konstructiv (Zurich, Switzerland) were following along live as well, having supported this launch as a part of Tomás Saraceno’s solo exhibition Aerosolar Journeys, which we cordially invite you to visit.
The Pican Pica camera began to transmit some fascinating aerial photos from onboard the Pegasi.
Meanwhile, back on Earth... As the weather conditions were still favourable, we prepared our final sculpture for launch. This sculpture, the Schellin, was outfitted with a cut-down mechanism, in order to test our geo-fencing system.
Geo-fencing creates an invisible perimeter beyond reach an Aerocene sculpture can not cross. When the geo-fence is triggered, a cut-down mechanism will be activated, which will force the sculpture to descend. This is a way of making sure an Aerocene does not float over areas where recovery would be problematic, i.e. over the ocean. Thanks to Alexander Bouchner from TU-Braunschweig for developing a cut-down mechanism for this experiment.
Due to the position of the sculpture and wind speeds, the Schellin did not launch on the first attempt, but we were determined to try again.
Finally, the Schellin lifted skyward, joining the other Aerocene sculptures in the ocean of air above us. Everyone was thrilled to be able to launch five Aerocene sculptures in a single morning!
Two Aerocene sculptures, the Pegasi and the Schellin, were still floating in the air, and we continued to track their movements, soon discovering that both had crossed the German border into Poland. While some of the group then finished the launch by packing up and having a nice lunch, two of us jumped in a van and started to follow the Pegasi eastward, via the Pican Pica and SPOT trackers, hoping to recover them when they landed.
It was discovered that Pegasi sculpture landed in northwest Poland at 12:52 p.m. Launched at 10:02 a.m. on 4 March 2017, the Pegasi floated nearly 3 hours and reached an altitude of 9 km before landing! We are now trying to determine the reason for the Pegasi’s relatively sudden descent.
Our stellar team tracked the Pegasi soon after it landed around 3:00 p.m. in an area close to Glezno, Poland.
The Pegasi sculpture landed high in the trees near a small lake in a marsh area. The team managed to retrieve it the next morning with some very kind help from the local residents.
Many thanks to everyone who joined the 4 March 2017 Schönfelde launch both online and in person, and to Wilhelm-Hack-Museum, Ludwigshafen am Rhein, Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich, Public Laboratory for Open Technology and Science, and Radioamateur for their invaluable support and dedication. If you would like to get involved in preparing for the next Aerocene launch, write to us at info@aerocene.org. Until next time…!
THE 51 PEGASI B FLOAT DATA:
STARTING POINT:
03/04/2017 10:02:51 AM
52.45095, 14.0485
LANDING POINT:
03/05/2017 12:52:06 AM
53.14799, 15.345
DURATION:
2:49:15 H
DISTANCE:
127 KM
SCHELLIN FLOAT DATA:
STARTING POINT:
03/04/2017 11:09:50 AM
52.45106, 14.04846
LANDING POINT:
03/04/2017 07:37:40 PM
53.71835, 20.09727
DURATION:
8:28:50 H
DISTANCE:
475 KM
Aug 27 launch: Schönfelde, Germany
GEMINI FREE FLIGHT
SCHÖNFELDE, GERMANY 27 AUGUST 2016 8:55 a.m.
Hello Aerocene friends and pilots,
Join us for the next leg of the Aerocene “Around the World” carbon-free solar journey!
This Saturday, 27 August at 7:00 a.m., we will be launching Aerocene solar balloon sculptures with atmospheric recording sensor payloads in Schönfelde, Germany (2 hours from Berlin by train). Aerocene traveling sculptures transcend boundaries between art and science and have become a visionary open participatory platform of knowledge production and distribution. In addition to the launch, we invite you to a participate in two challenges and win a prize.
This launch is entirely dependent on the weather, so let’s hope for clear, sunny skies with very little wind so we can lift off. If the weather prohibits us from launch ing, we will reschedule to another date. The location for this launch was selected because it falls outside the D-CTR area in Berlin,
necessary due to local air traffic regulations.
CHALLENGES:
Challenge 2:
Be the first to locate the Gemini after it has landed, and help us launch it again!
The first to locate and retrieve the Gemini on the ground will win an aerial video of this leg of Aerocene’s “Around the World” carbon-free solar journey, shot by the Gemini sculptures’ cameras!Challenge 1:
Can you accurately forecast where the Aerocene Gemini will land?
These are the coordinates for the launch: 52°27’32.4”N 14°03’15.3”E Plot your prediction on this map. Click “Add marker,” then select your forecasted landing point on the map, and add your name to the point when prompted. Whoever forecasts closest to where the Gemini lands will win an aerial video of this leg of the “Around the World” Aerocene journey, shot by the Gemini sculptures’ cameras!LAUNCH DETAILS:
Aerocene sculptures to be launched: Gemini (TS/Sl5048), Explorer 1.0, Tetrahedron Transparent (TS/S15180)
Total payload capacity: approx. 1.4 kg
TRACK the flight path and collect atmospheric data in real time: http://aprs.fi/ (Click on the sculpture icon, then click “Show telemetry,” and you will see the data (temperature, humidity, air pressure, etc.)
You can WATCH the live video stream for three days after the flight: http://ssdv.habhub.org/DL7AD, and you can see our live video stream images here
Special guests: Nick Shapiro (Public Lab), Sven Steudte (Radio Amateur), and from Studio Tomás Saraceno, Adrian Krell, Daniel Schulz, Cara Cotner, Irin Siriwattanagul, Kotryna šlapšinskaitė, and Saverio Cantoni
The Aerocene project is a collective endeavour that is being currently developed by a team, united under a non-profit organisation. The sculptures are paving the way for the most sustainable and energy efficient vehicle humans have ever created.
Come join us this Saturday. Forecast the Gemini’s landing. Track it down and help us to relaunch, as Aerocene moves “Around the World.” Exercise your thermodynamic imagination.
LAUNCH REPORT:
On 27 August 2016, just after sunrise, Aerocene returned to the skies once again, embarking on the next leg of its “Around the World” carbon-free solar journey.
ALTITUDE PROFILE:
The Aerocene Gemini was able to reach a highest altitude of 16,283 m (53,422 ft)!
Temperature inside and outside/AIR PRESSURE/ HumiditY:
Telemetry history graphs for DL7AD-11 in 48 hours
The online challenge:
As for the landing point forecasting challenge, unfortunately there were no winners this time, as no one’s prediction fell within 20 km of the actual landing point. Special mention goes to the 3 people who guessed the closest: Claudia Melendez, Maria Cohen, and yes, Tomás Saraceno! There will be further chances to win coming soon – we are already planning our next launch as our global circumnavigation continues, step by step!FLIGHT DATA:
Test launch at Ehra-Lessien refugee camp, Germany
Thank you
Thank you to all the participants from IAK-Braunschweig who came to Ehra-Lessien refugee camp on June 3rd! While we were unable to launch any Aerocene sculptures due to high winds and clouds, the workshop was great.
We look forward to going back again very soon!
Get ready for the Ehra-Lessien launch tomorrow
Hello participants,
We hope that a lot of you are going to join us tomorrow for the launch at Ehra-Lessien refugee camp!
Please think about a way to go there and self organize! We would strongly suggest to you to meet at IAK at 9:30 a.m. and take eveybody who would like to go to your car, or ask around who could bring you to Ehra-Lessien. Unfortunately there are no empty seats left!
We will meet you in Ehra-Lessien at 11:00 a.m. on 3 June 2016
Am Platz 10, 38468, Ehra-Lessien
We will explore the site with Director of Notunterkunft Thomas Schweigler and his team, have a lunch with the community living there, and make some amazing aerosolar performances together! Let’s hope for some great weather!
Students: don’t forget your assignment tomorrow to take a photo of your payload and write a couple of sentences.
Very happy to see you tomorrow,
The Aerocene Team
Participants from IAK Architecture-Related Art Institute, directed by Tomás Saraceno, will join him in a launch on 3 June 2016 at a refugee camp to test a number of Aerocene solar sculptures. Different payloads will be attached to the various sculptures as they rise into the air.
This page will chronicle all of the Aerocene test launches and performances by Tomás Saraceno and his Studio Team, in collaboration with participants from IAK-Braunschweig, and whoever else would like to enter the world of the Aerocene! It will be a resource for information on launch locations and times, and it will also be a space where participants can leave comments and suggestions.
Let’s explore our interconnected world together!
