After being launched on May 20th the balloon took a Northerly track across the United States then turning slightly South over the Great Lakes to New York, leaving North America at St. John’s, New Foundland. An unusual weather system over the North Atlantic created a brisk Easterly wind which pushed back the forward progress of the balloon from Southern Ireland back to the North Atlantic. It languished in a slow area of wind for several days, then met a trough of wind which transported it to Iceland. Since Iceland it has continued on its journey in the last 72hrs traveling through Norway, Sweden and today Finland.
Daily Progress can be checked on
For the eyes of the world now look into space, to the moon and to the planets beyond, and we have vowed that we shall not see it governed by a hostile flag of conquest, but by a banner of freedom and peace. We have vowed that we shall not see space filled with weapons of mass destruction, but with instruments of knowledge and understanding.
John F. Kennedy
We choose to go to the Moon Speech
September 12th 1962