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…
Owego Free Academy Balloon Launch
“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.
Attaching the contraption to the balloon base.
Owego Free Academy Balloon Launch Club
Preparing for take off!
UP UP and Away!
Owego Free Academy Balloon Launch
Teacher John Heath, Owego Free Academy
One cool Science Kid!
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!
The Camera's Eye 