During the early hours of Saturday, January 12th, Gering High School Engineering students launched a high-altitude weather balloon. Students launched the balloon to document the view of the Earth from nearly 100,000 feet in the stratosphere.

Students had developed sequencing where cameras and GoPros took alternating videos and pictures during the journey. Antennas secured to the bottom of the box containing the weather equipment transmitted data to an Automatic Packet Reporting System in compliance with Federal Aviation Association guidelines. Students were able to track the balloon and payload using global positioning systems and Google Maps on their cellphones.

The balloon rose at a rate of 6.2 meters per second and traveled at a speed of 4.9 miles per hour. The flight time of the balloon was nearly two hours. Students and teacher, Justin Reinmuth, located the package of computers and cameras in a field outside of Redington.

The engineering class has started the process of downloading data from the flight.

By clicking the "Balloon Map" tab to the left, you will have access to see almost 100 different photos that we recovered from our first flight. Once you have opened the map, you simply click on a way point, and a window will show you a photo from our payload, elevation the picture was taken at, and the time that photo was taken on the 12th of January.