3,2, 1.... LAUNCH!!!!!

Today is the big day! The one we have waited for all year. Two semesters and nine months of preparation, research and testing culminate in a few hours of balloon flight time. At 11am each team will give a brief explanation of their balloon before filling it with helium and releasing it into the atmosphere.  There will be projectors set up displaying data for those in attendance to watch. The balloons should be in the air for 3-4 hours. Once it reaches a certain pressure at a specific altitude the balloon will pop, and the parachute will deploy. Their estimated trajectory is south toward Tioga State Forrest in PA. If you live near there and could keep an eye out for them that would be greatly appreciated! After lunch the balloon hunt begins. Each of the 3 groups will follow the GPS coordinates in search of their balloon. There is a high probability that it will be stuck in a tree which could make things interesting.
If you are in the Houghton area, we'd love to see you at the launch tomorrow morning! If not, no need to worry you can still be a part of launch day. This live page will show the GPS coordinates of each balloon as it travels and this one has live data stream to graphs for each group. Up Up and Away!
--Kayla