Santa Cruz team launches redwood sapling into space

Local organizations Event Santa Cruz and Santa Cruz Next, which puts on the Nexties awards ceremony, recently launched a redwood sapling into space.

A newly sprouted redwood tree was attached to large helium balloon and sent into space with a Go Pro camera to collect footage of the Monterey Bay.

Last month, a team launched the small tree from the top floor of the Locust Street parking garage in downtown Santa Cruz. It was placed in a water bottle with hand warmers around its roots to help protect it from the cold. The bottle was attached to a “launch kit” outfitted with a GPS device and the camera, and then attached to a balloon and let loose.

Footage collected by the camera was released this week. The launch was done in large part to promote the upcoming Santa Cruz Nexties awards, which honor the county’s upcoming movers and shakers.