Buena Vista High School balloon launch lands in field near Holyoke

    A weather balloon launched from Buena Vista High School Wednesday, Oct. 11, traveled all the way to Holyoke that same day, landing in Clay Willmon’s stubblefield southeast of town. Five students with their teacher made the trip to Holyoke Thursday, Oct. 19, to retrieve the project.
    Upon launching the balloon, the chemistry class at Buena Vista HS predicted it would travel northeast about 60 miles. It arrived in Holyoke seven hours later, landing in Willmon’s field eight miles east and a mile and a half south of Holyoke.
    By the student’s calculations, the balloon traveled 310 miles. About 20 people worked together to create and launch the balloon. In preparation, the students assembled the frame and attached two GoPro cameras, a sensor, a GPS and two Lego characters — Star Wars R2D2 and C3PO.
    They explained how the weather balloon was filled with helium and then connected to the frame and a parachute. As the balloon gets higher in altitude, it expands due to decreasing air pressure, they said. Eventually, the balloon popped because it could expand no more. The sensor tracks altitude, temperature and air pressure, they added.
    The students are hoping the cameras captured the trip as well as the landing. They are very excited and proud of the success of this project.

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