High Altitude Weather Balloon Launch
Our campers at STEM (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) Summer Camp had the opportunity to launch a high altitude weather balloon on June 9th, 2018 sponsored by the Arnold Air Force Base STEM Program. Hands-On Science Center's mascot, Tully the Plush Groundhog, went 102,000 ft (about 20 miles) into the Stratosphere. The launch was conducted by University of Tennessee Space Institute Masters in Engineering Science graduate Younes Baalla. The high altitude weather balloon launch was intended to educate the campers on atmospheric conditions that occurs in the Troposphere and Stratosphere. The payload module contained an atmospheric sounding system, a GPS and a camera to trek and capture photos of the balloon through different layers of the atmosphere. The sensor packaging measured temperature, time, altitude and pressure. The GPS Tracker was used to measure trajectory of the balloon which landed in Bradyville, TN.
Fire Balls
NASA selected the Hands-On Science Center in Tullahoma to be the third site and their all sky net of cameras looking for meteors. They keep adding sites and now there are over 19. The cameras are about 15 inches high and HOSC’s camera is located on the roof of H Wing at UTSI. This location was picked to minimize light pollution.
These cameras record meteors as bright or brighter than Venus which are at least the size of a golf ball. If at least two sites record a meteor track within a 150-mile radius of both sites a NASA computer will triangulate and analyzes the data to show: the object’s path around the sun, its velocity and its track. Although most visible meteors are the size of a grain of sand only a few make it to earth.
If you see a meteor, wait until after 8 A.M. the next day and
Go to: https://fireballs.ndc.nasa.gov/
This site shows the network of cameras across the US and lists
radarlive view showing dates where there were meteors to analyze.
Women in Science
"Women in Science" is an exhibit at Hands-On-Science Center! Come by and see it!
Eyes on the Solar System
Check out NASA's Eyes on the Solar System page. It is an interactive, real-time source of information that shows spacecraft simulations!
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