A high-flying student launched her work into space and recorded the journey for an art project.

Annabel Hewitson, who is studying a pre-degree diploma in art and design at the University for the Creative Arts in Epsom, attached an image of a group of astronauts to a GoPro camera and a weather balloon.

This allowed 19-year-old Annabel’s work to travel about 33 kilometres into the stratosphere before low air pressure caused the helium-filled balloon to expand and then burst.

It then parachuted back down to earth, landing just south east of Ettington, near Stratford-upon-Avon – nearly 70 miles and two hours away from the launch in Froxfield in Wiltshire on April 30.

Annabel, who is originally from Wandsworth, was able to track the balloon using a locator app attached to it.

The space flight required permission from the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), which approved it with stringent conditions, including the location of the launch and direction of the wind at the time the balloon was released.


Video credit: Annabel Hewitson

Annabel carried out the space launch as part of the final major project of her preliminary year of university. She explained that bringing art and science together through the project was something she particularly enjoyed.

“It’s first and foremost an art project,” she said.

“But a lot of the people involved were not artists and many were more interested in space from a scientific perspective.

“I had some help with working out how to record data from the journey, such as the air pressure, altitude and temperature throughout the flight, which made it just as much a science experiment as a piece of art.

“I’ve always been interested in space and I’d describe my ideal job as being artist in residence on the International Space Station. I wanted to use this project as a chance to explore the idea of making art in space and that led to sending my art up attached to a weather balloon.”

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