School students successfully launch high-altitude balloon into the atmosphere
Primary school students in Lower Hutt, New Zealand, successfully launched and retrieved a high-altitude weather balloon equipped with cameras and sensors. The project allowed students to gain hands-on experience in avionics, logistics, and data mapping.
Why it matters
Educational initiatives like this foster early interest in STEM fields by providing students with practical, real-world experience in scientific experimentation.
Lower Hutt primary school students have successfully launched and retrieved a weather balloon which went high into the atmosphere.
A group of 10 pupils at Maungaraki School launched a high-altitude balloon (HAB) on Tuesday from their school field.
The balloon recorded video with two 360-degree cameras, longitude, pressure, altitude and temperature during the flight, which the children used to map out its path in 3D.
Each of the pupils had a role, from looking after the trackers and electronics to wiping the camera lenses.
Armed with clipboards and enthusiasm, they milled about getting everything ready for the launch and recovery.
One student, Angad Singh, acting as avionics engineer, told RNZ he could not sleep the night before the launch due to excitement.
He said he had learnt about different kinds of electronic equipment and design.
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