Chris Parker from Retired Working For You, shares feel good, informative videos on his YouTube channel shining a positive light on everything that Thailand and it’s amazing people have to offer.
His latest fun, and some might say slightly wacky, project idea was to complete the highest ever launch of any object from Thai soil. So, what would this ambitious proposal entail? Well, firstly he needed a custom-built high-altitude helium weather balloon, and how about getting it to carry none other than the nations’ favourite Phad Krapow for a bit of good-humoured entertainment, with a dose of pride for Thailand rolled into the mix?
The Sky Is Not The Limit
Chris Parkers’ passion for all things to do with Thailand started over 25 years ago when he first visited, and the purpose of his latest high-reaching endeavour was to celebrate Thailand, to give Thai people here, and around the world, a chance to reflect on how amazing their country is, to feel positive about what the future will bring and to inspire children to dream that the sky is definitely not the limit. This project was all about injecting a bit of fun into something historic. See the exclusive, brand-new footage here.
A Cosmic Collaboration
So, when RW4U came up with the quirky idea to launch and capture footage of the highest-reaching skyward object ever lifted off from Thai soil, (namely a portion of Phad Krapow), Chris called in help from the experts.
This came in the form of GISTDA, or the Geo-Informatics and Space Technology Development Agency. This Thai space agency and research organisation provided solid advice and help regarding the Phad Krapow and balloon logistics, with particular thanks to Dr Jack for all his professional assistance.
Dana Blouin from Idea Studio not only provided solid support as a great friend, but with his engineering background he rolled up his sleeves and provided lots of support where he could add the most value; he set up the cameras for the best possible footage using good old physics for the weight balancing, attachments and optimal setup. Dana also captured some incredible behind the scenes footage of the entire project which can be seen on his YouTube channel here.
To The Edge of Space
For the atmosphere layer lovers among us, if we are being exact, then the Phad Krapow didn’t exactly go into space as such; it actually went up to a height of over 35,000 metres (above 117,000 feet) heading through the troposphere and into the stratosphere; safety nestled on the custom-built weather balloon. You can see more on this incredible journey through the different spheres here.
The mouth-watering Phad Krapow was lovingly prepared by Khun Noi from 99 Tam Sang in Ruam Sab Market; a firm favourite of Chris Parkers’ who has covered her fab cooking in a number of his YouTube videos including this one. After the launch from Bueng Boraphet Football pitch in Nakhon Sawan, Khun Noi kindly cooked up her speciality dish at the site for over 70 people (who were there as part of the collaboration, interested onlookers, and students from Jiraprawat Nakhon Sawan School who were invited to be part of crowd to witness the highest ever launch from Thai soil).
Up, Up and (Literally) Away
High altitude balloon ready for launch – CHECK; Phad Krapow freshly prepared and rigged up – CHECK; Cameras and GPS ready to capture the significant and first of its kind footage – CHECK; Crowd all eagerly awaiting launch – CHECK… 3, 2, 1… blast-off (Okay, more like balloon release and ascent if we want to be pedantic).
All went according to plan until the balloon popped and began its descent back down to Earth. At just over 700 metres above the ground, and drum roll please; the GPS stopped working and the balloon basically got lost!
Is Anybody Out There?
A full search was carried out for the rest of the day, but sadly the balloon was nowhere to be seen. Given the importance of the footage, Chris and Co. stayed on another night to resume the search the following day.
When they returned to the area the next morning, Khun Fah of the RW4U team contacted the local village chief, Phu Yai Nung, to ask for his help. He kindly informed his curious villagers what to look out for, and suggested that before they begin, they should go to the temple, pray to Buddha, light 9 incense sticks and ask for luck in the search. As it happened, it was the same day the village chief’s son was being consecrated as a monk; this was taken as a positive sign and the team’s spirits were lifted.
Seek And You Shall Find
The search re-started and with the help of the villagers, the balloon was thankfully located. Relief swept over the team as they recovered the package and knew that the footage was saved. They were itching to take a look and put this video together for their viewers. After a ribbon was wrapped around the tree in the rice paddy where the precious find was retrieved, the team went back to the temple and left flowers as a thank you.
The Land Of Smiles
RW4U are super proud to have accomplished what started as just a light-bulb moment for Chris Parker; this light-hearted, fun and historic first for Thailand (with grateful thanks to all those who made this possible). With a seemingly never-ending negative news cycle, take a moment to enjoy a feel-good story for a change. Watch the exclusive video here and put a smile on your face today.
What Really Happened?
Well, the footage was saved and balloon found; but where was the Phad Krapow? The box was found near the balloon recovery site, but was opened and empty. With no footage of the food package returning to land, what do you think happened? Did an animal get to it? Or perhaps something more extra-terrestrial may have snatched it when it was up in the stratosphere? Watch the video now and let us know what you think. As they say, surely ‘the truth is out there’?
‒ By Joanna Matlub