Sixth Graders Launch High Altitude Weather Balloons

Early Saturday morning, sixth graders, staff, and families woke in Ellensburg, WA and headed out to prepare for a high altitude balloon launch that has been in the works since last summer. The balloons were equipped with student built, soldered and programmed flight computers and weather sensors to measure temperature and relative humidity. The balloons made it to 93,000 feet where photos of "near space" were taken. Once they descended, they were tracked by GPS. After a couple mile hike and a meander through a cow pasture, the balloons were back in Open Window hands.

This week, students will begin to collect and analyze data. Their findings will be presented in May at STEM Day.

To see a video of the launching, click here.

(Note: Time/ date stamps are inaccurate)