Embedded Files
Launch Day
Mr. John Brode
Science Teacher
The 2019-2020 launch was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We were able to complete our project this year with a few restrictions. One of the restrictions was that we could not allow the entire school to come out to watch the launch. Only the students needed for the launch were present. Everyone wore masks and tried to maintain safe distances whenever possible.
Launch day (5/6/2021) began at 7:45 a.m. under a clear-blue sky. The temperature was about 55 degrees Fahrenheit which made it necessary for some of the students to wear jackets. My first period students' set-up the site. Materials were placed on tables and the inflation area was prepared. The inflation team began inflating the balloon around 8:15 a.m. Wind gusts up to 15 mph made it difficult to keep the balloon under control. The first part of the inflation process was completed by the end of first period (8:35 a.m.).
Second period began with the payload and electronics teams joining the other students that were already on the scene. Some of the students returned to their second period class because their tasks were completed. At this time, all of the components were arranged in the payload box. The electronics were turned on and the box was sealed. The packing tape that we planned on using kept ripping on the dispenser. It was decided that Duct Tape would be used to seal the box.
While the payload box was being worked on, the prediction teams used the new weather model that was released while the site was being set-up. The teams determined the amount of helium needed for the balloon to land in a "good" location. This value was relayed to the inflation team. A digital scale was used to measure the lift force and more helium was added to increase this force. When the lift force was re-measured, there were wind gusts that made it difficult to read the scale. It appeared to be close to the desired level so the tying team began their job.
Back at the payload box, the students encountered another challenge. They were working on tying the four strings together that would connect the payload box to the main string. The payload strings needed to be tied in a way that the box would be level when it was released. Two groups of students were unsuccessful at completing this task. Mr. Morris was called over to help tie the knots. He showed one of the students on the knot-tying team how to correctly solve the problem. The student was able to properly secure the lines so that the box was level. I would like to thank Mr. Morris for his service to our country and for helping our students be successful. This challenge delayed our planned launch time by about 20 minutes. It is better to get it right, than to release the balloon before it is ready.
At this point, the next step was to connect all of the sections to the balloon. This included the cut-down system, parachute, and radar reflector. There was 80 feet of string between the balloon and the box. The string attached to the balloon was slowly released until only the payload box was left. After a countdown, the box was released. There was a moment of silence as a gust of wind caused the balloon to go towards the Gym Building. The box came within six-feet of hitting the building. A Styrofoam box traveling around 15 mph into a brick wall would not have been a pretty sight. At 9:39 a.m., the balloon successfully passed the wall and began its journey.
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