STEM Student Engagement Using High Altitude Ballooning During Eclipses

Abstract:

Technology can be used to meaningfully engage STEM students in NASA mission-like experiences. For example, Montana Space Grant Consortium (MSGC) and the National Space Grant network involve student teams from across the US in technology-rich nationwide eclipse ballooning opportunities. MSGC has a high-altitude ballooning program called BOREALIS (Balloon Outreach, Research, Exploration and Landscape Imaging System) where students from a variety of backgrounds work together to conceive, design, build, test and fly systems to altitudes nearing 100,000 feet. The MSGC BOREALIS program leads the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, which provides more than one thousand students with hands-on opportunities for technology development and collaboration, such as imaging the curvature of the earth, balloon design and build, real time balloon tracking payloads, website development for real time reporting of balloon positions, real time video transmission from altitude, single board computer and camera design, payload power supply design, email control of payload through an Iridium based satellite system, balloon tracking systems for pointing RF dishes, real time image downloading, communication systems in multiple frequency bands, scientific sensor development, mechanical payload packaging, mission planning, balloon flight prediction, and weather prediction. This presentation explores the technologies used during the 2017 Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project and the proposed updated technologies being developed for the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipses. In addition, the presentation shows how interacting with the cutting-edge technologies positively impacts students.