How to Launch a Weather Balloon
How to Launch a Weather Balloon
Embark on an epic journey with your students as we guide you through conducting a high-altitude balloon launch. Learn what supplies are needed, what science lessons and experiences your students will gain, and how you can bring this exciting project to your school.
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Project Background
Students will use the engineering design process to launch a payload on a weather balloon to the upper atmosphere and safely recover it. Students work in teams to understand the science behind the balloon launch, design and build a scientific payload, select the launch site using predictive modeling and weather conditions, launch the balloon, and analyze the collected data. Note: This is an intensive activity that involves a high risk of losing the payload due to equipment malfunction, human error, or other factors.
Video Overview
In this video, you will first watch Natasha’s Space Club students completing this project from start to finish to give you a sense of what is involved. Then, she will go into depth on the following topics:
Science of Weather Balloons
Science Experiments
Recommended Materials
Managing the Project
Launch Day
Recovery
At the end of the video, she will be joined by Claire Meschkat the other co-founder of Vivify STEM. She just completed the weather balloon project with her students and is going to talk about her experience doing this for the first time!
