Many warm wishes to Kristina & Troy who married July 20, 2013 at the Harbor Hotel in Watkins Glen NY!

Owego Free Academy Balloon Launch Club
Students carry the gadget equipped with cameras, GPS devices and a parachute to the OFA lawn.
A sneak peak reveals a note for anyone who may find the device on its travels
Two cameras secured inside – one facing up to capture the balloon burst and the other facing outward to photograph the Earth below…
“Big B” the main GPS device is backed up with a lesser hiker’s GPS unit in case of malfunction from heat.
A Lockheed Martin engineer supported the project and teaches kids here how to sync the devices to cell phones in order to track the balloon from the ground.
Owego Free Academy Balloon Launch
Another teacher fills the balloon with Helium to a diameter of 5 ft. As it rises and pressure changes, it expands to 20 ft in diameter and bursts. A small parachute carries is back to Earth as the cameras spin images every step of the way.
Preparing for take off!
For more information on this totally cool project and to follow the results of this Science Project, contact John Heath via Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/john.heath.338658 To see a full version of the launch, go to The Camera’s Eye, click Client Proofing and type: “balloon” This is the Club’s 4th Launch but first Summer Launch. The balloon and camera’s flight should last approximately one and a half hours depending on wind and heat conditions. Once the balloon bursts, the camera contraption travels by parachute back to Earth. The middle school students added their own twist to the experiment by trying to break the world record for highest “egg drop.” On the side of the box is one small raw egg they are hoping lands in ONE piece! The last I heard, it had landed 40 feet up in a tree near Chenango Park, NY but they aren’t sure how to get it down…. lol. Good luck kids!
I love owning up to being human and when anyone else does too.. I support that! This lovely 2013 Senior was so caught up in her Senior Year, she completely lost track of time and just now ordered her Senior pictures. Although I don’t recommend this… I whole-heartedly understand it! This calls for the old saying, “Better late than never.” She photographed way too nicely to never have a printed portrait. Don’t you agree? So don’t worry about the embarrassment.. Just do it. Order late, admit that you can’t keep up in our minute to minute, instantaneous society and just do it. You will find yourself in good company at this company!