Back in March, our StratoStar team was standing in Fort Wayne getting ready to launch a weather balloon to the edge of space. We worked with students at Blackhawk Middle School for weeks preparing for this exact moment. The students were excited as they said goodbye to the experiments they designed, but what came next, no one could have predicted.
Almost 6 Hours Later, The Payload Landed in West Virginia
Fort Wayne all the way to West Virginia. That’s 229.4 miles, which makes this particular launch one of our longest balloon flights to date! This high-altitude weather balloon reached 4,170 feet before it finally popped. Traveling at 16 miles per hour, we never expected the balloon or the payload to actually travel as far as it did.
StratoStar Tracks the Weather Balloon From Launch to Bust
Like all of our other high-altitude weather balloon launches, the students at Blackhawk Middle School were able to track the balloon during the entire flight. Through StratoStar’s mission control, the students and everyone involved with the balloon launch were able to keep tabs on it the whole time. It also allows us to track and recover the payload after it has landed back on the ground. Thankfully, we have a community of supporters and fellow high-altitude balloon fans who helped track the payload down and return it to the students.
Working with STARBASE Indiana Fort Wayne
This particular balloon launch was part of a STARBASE program. STARBASE is a huge supporter of STEM education, much like StratoStar, so naturally we love partnering with them. Through this program, students learn how science, technology, education, and math all come together to create some incredible results. We use the weather balloon curriculum to incorporate all of these educational ideas and show students just how much fun learning can be.
Are you interested in launching a high-altitude weather balloon with your class? StratoStar would love to help! We have great resources for you to learn about weather balloons and STEM education. Plus, you can even launch a virtual weather balloon. When you’re ready to talk about launching a real balloon with your class, we’ll be here to talk through the process with you!
Contact StratoStar to get started.
