Tomás Saraceno, an Argentinian interdisciplinary artist, is reimagining the future of air travel with his fuel-free hot air balloon. Setting six world records, “Aerocene Pacha” has enabled humans to fly free into the air.
On January 28 of this year, Saraceno led the world’s first manned sun-powered free flight. Using only solar energy and air, Saraceno and female pilot Leticia Marques lifted humans above ground, sustainably. Aerosolar balloon technology, free of any dependency on carbon fossil fuel derivatives, has since granted the project six world records filed with the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) under the General and Female categories for Altitude, Distance, and Duration of the human solar flight.
Saraceno’s project, titled “Fly with Aerocene Pacha,” has one mission: to open up a new era of planet solidarity, and to move past man-made causes of climate change.
In most cases, traditional hot air balloons are heated by the burning of propane, which is also commonly used for barbecues and some motor vehicles. Although scientists have shown that using propane as opposed to conventional fuels is a better option, the combustion of propane still produces harmful wastes, including carbon monoxide and greenhouse gases.
Saraceno’s balloon uses Aerosolar technology, which relies on the sun instead of propane or any other type of fuel. Aerosolar, meaning “of the sun and the winds,” has the power of harnessing the energy of the sun to make moving with the air self-sustaining. Ultraviolet rays are captured by the membrane of the balloon that raise the temperature enough to lift the balloon into the atmosphere, without any burning of fuel.
Throughout history, ballooning has been known to always rely on the use of carbon fossil fuel derivatives. Airplanes, arguably the most common method of air travel, also rely on fuel that produces greenhouse gases. Commercial air travel in general accounts for only 2.5% of global carbon dioxide emissions, but that percentage is growing and contributing to climate change.
According to the 2016 Environmental Report from the International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO), a rapid growth in plane emissions could have detrimental effects by 2050 — aviation could potentially take up a quarter of the world’s “carbon budget,” which is known as the maximum volume of carbon emissions that would not result in an uncontrollable rise in global temperature. Fly with Aerocene Pacha is looking at other ways society can fly without the burning of fuel.
The project also aims to stand in solidarity with Argentina’s native communities. In Salinas Grandes, lithium is mined for batteries, but mining has caused drought and water pollution that has inevitably affected surrounding communities. Written on the Aerocene Pacha is a message that reads, “Water and life are more valuable than lithium.” Representatives from 33 indigenous communities of the Salinas Grandes attended the launch of the balloon, proving the project to embody an ethical commitment to the atmosphere and to the Earth.
Without exploiting local communities or the environment, Fly with Aerocene Pacha is making history. Floating free from lithium and fossil fuels, Aerocene Pacha is as much as a scientific breakthrough as it is a stand against climate change. As the project’s tagline states, “Change habits, not the climate.”
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