We have just completed another year of introducing students to the world of electronics in our two school clubs. The middle school club ended with a successful High Altitude Balloon launch and recovery with a couple of firsts. This was the first time that the balloon ascended through the Jet Stream with a maximum horizontal velocity of 146 mph and then passed through the Jet Stream again on the way down. It was also the first time that the payload ended up in a tree! Fortunately, Brian Brown and Tim Kipfmiller, with tenacious doggedness, were able to dislodge the payload from the tree.
The flight was reported in an article by Dan Chalk in the Midland Daily News.
We will be spending some time this summer re-evaluating how we operate the high school club. We are looking forward to some time off. Thanks to Will (K8VFO), Lee (KC8ITI), Jackie (N8NNA), Art (K0ACP), Andy (KD8ULJ), Brian Brown, Tim Kipfmiller, and Carman Kessler.
Here’s a view of the launch: