The students in the Grade 11 University Physics Class at West Ferris Intermediate Secondary School in North Bay, Ontario will be launching a weather balloon into Earth’s Stratosphere with a payload of camera-toting mini computers and radio tracking equipment. The launch procedure is weather dependent, and so the exact launch date has not been confirmed. However, it is anticipated that the launch will take place between October 9th and October 31st from the football field at West Ferris Secondary School. Once the launch date is finalized information confirmed the exact launch date and time be issued 72 to 48 hours prior to the event.
The purpose of the mission is to observe and record the journey to near space using in-flight radio transmissions of GPS location, data, video, and images. The balloon is expected to explode at an altitude of just over 30km, at which point a parachute will deploy and the payload will descend back to Earth. The flight is expected to take a total of about 3 hours. Data from the flight will provide experimental results and serve as an anchor activity providing authentic context to course materials.
The students of the Grade 11 University Physics class will track the balloon’s flight path in chase cars, with reception assistance provided by the North Bay Amateur Radio Club. The goal is to retrieve the payload post-flight, along with its cache of data, video and images. This activity is called High Altitude Ballooning (HAB).
For more information, please contact:
Kelly Shulman (VE3KLX)
West Ferris Intermediate Secondary School
P. 705-475-2333
E. kelly.shulman@nearnorthschools.ca
