Hi @LeGo Léo! Welcome to our forum and we are happy that you are so much into solar balloons!
As well, I admire your actions within “Tête en Terre”, this sort of community collaboration is always so positive for everyone involved. Regarding building an Aerocene Explorer, yes, ripstop 7d is expensive. We have been investigating for a while the possibility of building with used sails such as spinnakers, which could eventually be a lot cheaper. On top of this building with a used material is friendlier to the environment. Also please do check Museo Aerosolar construction in Buenos Aires last year > Aerocene - TECAT
How to build an Aerocene?
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My name is Max. I study GIS, Geography, and computer science. I am an undergraduate senior currently working on a funded research project. I would like to use the Aerocene explorer and Dust Duino to measure particulate matter emitted from Wildfires in Forest regions and Savanna regions. I plan to publish my results through a series of ESRI ArcMaps that depict gradients of PM in the atmosphere.
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Hi (again) Max! This is great and sounds very interesting. What area in the world is the Explorer launch including measurements planned for? Is it connected to an institution?
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Here is some more information about the Dust Duino… In case you haven’t seen it!
[https://publiclab.org/wiki/dustduino]
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Camilla,
I will be conducting the research in Montana, USA. It is through the University of Montana and Montana State University!
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Hi @MaxEnger ! I am a cartography student myself and sometimes work as an onboard technician on oceanographic surveys. Your project sounds amazing! Over here in Argentina we are working together with ETER pollution monitor by @juli and friends. They have developed a simple PM sensor, which is cheap and relatively easy to build. We are planning activities on Villa Inflamable, a population that lies next to a petrochemical plant in Buenos Aires. Will be publishing pics over here! When thinking about airborne sensors weight is a variable to take into account. Although the Aerocene Explorer should be perfectly capable of carrying a Dustduino on sunny day. The idea to visualize with ArcMaps is great, as it is an industry standard. As well, we try to push for open hardware & software. I wonder if this could be done with opensource QgisS? In any case, it is great to e-meet you! Here to help 
My best, @Joaquin
Hi folks!
I’m a Mechanical Engineering student turned Web Developer. I came across this project on a TED talk and it was one of the most inspiring I’d seen. I’m keen to get involved with a London launch soon and to meet up with any of you that are around here! 
@Joaquin I’d also be keen to have a Skype with you at some point to hear a bit about your intersection of science, art, visualisation and development
Much love everyone,
Luan
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Hi @LuanvP, and welcome to the Aerocene community!
We have a nice Aerocene community in London, starting with @sasha who often carries Aerosolar flights with her students. Regarding Data visualization, I’ve been involved with flight predictions and flight data visualization. We have several challenges ahead, and we are always open for some help!
Make sure to check our latest news on social media, links at top of the page. As well my skype is “bongotai”, happy to speak anytime
Pleasure to e-meet you!
Hi @LuanvP let’s link up about Aerocene in London!
Currently there are two Aerocene Explorers out and about in London. Did you have an idea of where you’d like to launch?
I also recommend a Skype with @Joaquin
Sasha
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Hi.
I am from argentina and i am finishing my Mechanical Engineering thesis about numerical simulation of turbulence.
I love flying objects and i like studying fluid mechanics phenomena. Also i find very interesting the environmental, social, and collaborative perspective of Aerocene. I would like to collaborate in the scientific aspects of the project.
And i hope to attend the next launch in buenos aires!
Federico.
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Nice to e-meet you @fedeberta! Cool, sounds super interesting what you are doing. You should definitely link up with the Aerocene community in Argentina! I think @Joaquin is planning (a few) launches in the coming months outside of Buenos Aires - less windy as I understood it.
Did you read about the Villa Inflamable project?
Hi, here Niccolo, living near Florence (Italy). Some words about me…
I felt in love with GNU/Linux since 1994, I started using it professionally in 1997 and since 2001 I’m exclusively using free and open source software for all personal and professional needs.
I work daily with computers, networking, GPS, maps and telecommunications. I enjoy playing with technology and mechanics, making prototypes with the Raspberry Pi and ridining my motorbike.
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Hi, here is Charlène.
I am a student at ENSCI-les ateliers, a school of industrial creation in Paris. As a designer, I developed a research-based practice, linking science to design through various projects (experimental as well as innovation and prospective). The topics I like to explore are close to the one of the Aerocene project.
I am currently at the end of my master’s degree. After having written my thesis on the issues of natural history at the 21st century, my diploma project is now about the observation of fluxes that are shaping the seaside landscape. For this, I realize a citizen science project that suggest a walk thought the coast : 6 kind of objects are showing these fluxes (air, sand, wind, water color…). It offers an aesthetic perception and a scientific observation of it. As part of this project, I would have like to include an aerocene explorer balloon, and use its elevation to make aerial photography of the coastline. I was wondering what was the minimal size for a balloon to fly? And did you already made a « long » installation with it (one week, two weeks?) ? I’m also doing some experiments with mylar and thin PET films.
I look forward to discover the carte blanche events at the Palais de Tokyo! As I am working in Paris, I can help you by doing any kind of volunteering for the workshops :). Also, if you (or people from the community) want to visit our school, I would be really happy to be your guide !
Have a beautiful day,
Charlène.
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Aló Charlene! Pleased to e-meet you.
Your diploma project sounds amazing! And using one of the Aerocene Explorer solar balloons sounds just right. The size of our tetra shaped balloons is roughly 3 x 3 mts. These are able to lift up to 1,5kg payload on a sunny day. Please bear in mind these balloons can’t fly without light, so only daylight hours flight is possible.
Have you already visited the Carte Blanche show at Palais? We can get you in to the Aerocene room for free. Over here you will find unccountable resources to make you own balloon!
As well there is a super interesting symposium and lots of activities this week!
Please check Palais thread for more details.
Hi dear earthlings,
My name is Eric Mersch. I currently live in Brussels and I discovered the Aerocene project while taking part to a workshop at Palais de Tokyo this December. I have a background in experimental physics, but I’m fascinated by arts, sciences and nature in general and their interconnections. I’m interested in taking part to this project by sharing my questions, ideas, knowledge and my sens of wonder.
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This is an amazing image, Joaquin! what does it depict? did you make this??? its so gorgeous!
Hey @shapiro.nick I’m glad you liked it! This is a picture I created for my first and only solo show back in 2012. I found the show catalog and after a quick translation I am pasting it’s original explanation:
Taking as premise an aesthetic search in the visualization of wind, I obtained high precision scientific data (registered with an ultrasonic anemometer) of the entrance of a cold front in the Gulf of San Jorge. Then I processed this data with the help of MatLab scientific visualization program, looking to generate graphs inspired by the design of nautical charts: lines of different dimensions that emerge from the horizon forming angles and following a color scale, thousands of points ordered with greater and lesser concentration, graduations that give an idea of time and intensity. I believe I can see an emergent order appear, using different resources I explain the meaning of the graphic to show the meteorological phenomenon that gives birth to it. This visualization has no place in the world of science since its obsessive precision and aesthetic search are unnecessary, and that’s where I find my own objective: to create a tool that follows the rules of science to observe the temporary nature of a storm, but that makes visible the underlying beauty in the way it happens.
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Hi everyone,
I’m Charles, glad to have recently joined the team in Berlin, happy to be part of the aerocene experience. I am an interdisciplinary artist, architect and enthusiast for projects that propose new ways of understanding our surroundings.
I hope to meet you soon at the upcoming aerocene events. 
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Hi all,
I am a visual artist and PhD researcher with a background in industrial technology.
My research interests are in artistic approaches to improving our ‘systemic literacy’ [after James Bridle] of the natural and social systems that drive the planet and our civilisation. I am particularly interested in applying this to energy systems, with the sun as the ultimate force behind all energy systems.
I hav been involved in one successful, though unplanned, free flight of an MAS sculpture see https://forum.aerocene.org/t/unplanned-museo-aero-solar-free-flight-in-australia-2017/325
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I missed the chance to properly introduce myself in the Forum! Sorry sorry…
I am Saverio, proud to participate the airborne community in Berlin, enthusiast of visual art, sonic researches and solar propellers without burners! It is my great pleasure to support visual narratives around Aerocene and I am always happy to meet you in the real world under a warm sun ready to catch the good jetstream.
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