Launch

Today’s and tomorrow’s launches represent the culmination of months of design, fabrication, testing, and collaboration. Each balloon will climb to approximately 25–28 miles (40–45 km) above Earth, reaching the edge of space where the atmosphere is less than one percent as dense as it is at sea level. At that altitude, the payloads will experience an environment remarkably similar to that encountered by spacecraft in low Earth orbit, making these flights an ideal platform for both scientific research and engineering validation.

We have three teams. Today was

Magnetosphere Team – Exploring Earth’s Invisible Shield.

Earth is surrounded by an invisible magnetic field that protects us from charged particles streaming from the Sun. The Magnetosphere Team is measuring changes in that magnetic environment during the flight using sensitive magnetometers while also characterizing the radiation and environmental conditions near the edge of space. These measurements provide students with firsthand experience investigating the same physical processes studied by major space missions, including research led by University of Iowa scientists.

Students made a pasta dinner last night. and have been inspecting their high altitude balloon payloads.