Concord Ox Bow students hold 3rd weather balloon launch
On Friday, May 3rd, 4th grade students at Concord Ox Bow Elementary in Elkhart launched a weather balloon to observe and record atmospheric data. This is the third year in a row that the students have launched a weather balloon, and the students took care of the entire process.
They had to contact the FAA to let them know about the launch, speak with companies in charge of returning the device after it falls safely back to Earth, and plan experiments to attach to the weather balloon.
The crowd is gathering and the balloon’s getting bigger. Almost ready to launch! pic.twitter.com/KrkYRCaWPR
— Alex Countee (@alexcabc57) May 3, 2019
Many gathered from the entire school to watch the students fill up the balloon, attach the rig containing the recording instruments and experiments, and launch the balloon around 10:38 AM Friday morning. The balloon will climb into the stratosphere before popping, allowing a parachute to open and slowly drop the instruments back to the ground.
And there’s LIFTOFF!!? pic.twitter.com/rYwN1oHmhS
— Alex Countee (@alexcabc57) May 3, 2019
The rig and parachute traveled into Canadian waters late Friday, about one mile away from land.
The parachute and the rest of the rig containing the instruments and experiments seems to have landed in Lake St. Clair on the Canadian side, about one mile away from land. Miss Elizabeth King, a high ability teacher at Concord Ox Bow, and her students have been in contact with several people with the hope of someone finding the balloon.