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Mr. Gilliam’s Classroom Edit display name

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We have been very fortunate to partner with the Department of Defense these past two years and launch a high altitude balloon into space. Well, the upper stratosphere, but it's pretty close to space. Our last launch ascended to 95,000 feet, but we felt like something is missing from our project. We have gotten some amazing photos from the previous launch, but we want more a more holistic view from above. We want to see the Stratosphere from all angles. The Ricoh Theta SC will give us that view, but this project isn't just about the view. We want to use our images to partner with the certified Google educator in our district to make our own Google Expedition to the Stratosphere. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as just strapping the camera to the balloon and crossing our fingers. We need to insulate it very well. Our last launch exhibited temperatures down to -34 degrees Fahrenheit (Brrrrrr!), which is where the insulated tape comes in. My students will need to design a way to safely insulate the camera so that it doesn't turn off in the extreme temperatures. Aside from insulating the camera, they must also design a way to secure the device so that it doesn't come loose. Turbulence is a real problem at those altitudes and our students need to experiment and use the design process to design a way to hold the camera in place. My team and I will be working with our students to teach them everything they need to know about the atmosphere in order to help them prepare for the launch and decide on what experiments to send up with the balloon. This is where all of the extra supplies will come in handy for investigations about our atmosphere. Will you help us?

About my class

We have been very fortunate to partner with the Department of Defense these past two years and launch a high altitude balloon into space. Well, the upper stratosphere, but it's pretty close to space. Our last launch ascended to 95,000 feet, but we felt like something is missing from our project. We have gotten some amazing photos from the previous launch, but we want more a more holistic view from above. We want to see the Stratosphere from all angles. The Ricoh Theta SC will give us that view, but this project isn't just about the view. We want to use our images to partner with the certified Google educator in our district to make our own Google Expedition to the Stratosphere. Unfortunately, it's not as easy as just strapping the camera to the balloon and crossing our fingers. We need to insulate it very well. Our last launch exhibited temperatures down to -34 degrees Fahrenheit (Brrrrrr!), which is where the insulated tape comes in. My students will need to design a way to safely insulate the camera so that it doesn't turn off in the extreme temperatures. Aside from insulating the camera, they must also design a way to secure the device so that it doesn't come loose. Turbulence is a real problem at those altitudes and our students need to experiment and use the design process to design a way to hold the camera in place. My team and I will be working with our students to teach them everything they need to know about the atmosphere in order to help them prepare for the launch and decide on what experiments to send up with the balloon. This is where all of the extra supplies will come in handy for investigations about our atmosphere. Will you help us?

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