Tory Carissimo

Tory Carissimo

Sometimes a Solarcan Super User earns their place through an extraordinary final photograph. Other times, it is the adventure behind the photograph that captures our imagination.

Tory Carissimo and the team at Overlook Horizon managed both — by sending a Solarcan more than 100,000 feet into the sky.

Tory Carissimo and the Overlook Horizon high-altitude balloon project
Tory Carissimo and the Overlook Horizon project.

Tory is Flight Director at Overlook Horizon, a non-profit educational organisation based in New York State. The team uses high-altitude balloon flights to encourage an interest in science, technology and exploration. And in June 2018, Solarcan was lucky enough to go along for the ride.

The mission was called OLHZN-14: Solaris. Launched on 18 June 2018, it carried a Solarcan alongside other equipment and student experiments. The balloon climbed to 102,828 feet (31,342 metres) above sea level before bursting and beginning its journey back to Earth.

View at maximum altitude during the balloon flight
The balloon climbed to 102,828 feet before bursting.

It was not exactly the sort of environment in which we normally suggest installing a Solarcan. Most spend months strapped to a fence, balcony or drainpipe. Tory and the team gave this one just a few hours to work with, an ascent into the stratosphere, and a rather dramatic descent.

After landing in a cornfield, the equipment had to wait out a nearby thunderstorm before it could be recovered. The Solarcan came back with a few dents, but intact.

Recovery of the high-altitude balloon payload
Recovery of the payload after its return to Earth.

And there was a result. Despite such a brief exposure, the recovered Solarcan recorded a partial trail of the Sun, along with a trace of where its journey ended. It is a fascinating reminder that solargraphy is as much about trying things as it is about producing a perfectly polished image.

Solarcan solargraph recorded during the high-altitude balloon flight
The Solarcan’s result after the short flight.

We have always loved people who find unusual things to do with our little cameras. A long exposure in a garden is one sort of adventure; fastening a Solarcan to a scientific balloon and sending it 31 kilometres upwards is quite another.

Photograph from the Overlook Horizon Solarcan balloon mission

That curiosity and willingness to experiment are exactly what the Solarcan Super User Spotlight is here to celebrate. Tory and everyone involved at Overlook Horizon have thoroughly earned their place.

For a closer look at the mission, visit Overlook Horizon’s original flight report.

Congratulations, Tory! A shiny golden Solarcan Super User pin is on its way. It cannot be purchased — only earned.

The Solarcan Super User golden pin
The Solarcan Super User pin: it cannot be bought, only earned.