For immediate release:
On the morning of Tuesday, May 14, the students in the Grade 11 University Physics Class at West Ferris Intermediate Secondary School in North Bay, Ontario will proceed with the launch of a High Altitude Balloon from the school’s football field.
The launch procedure will commence in room 220 at 9:30 am with the actual release of the balloon completed at centrefield at around 10:30 am.
Members of the public are invited to attend. Anyone wishing to track the position of the balloon in flight can do so by accessing the tracking pages posted online at shulman.x10host.com.
The payload is expected to reach an altitude of over 30 kilometres before the balloon explodes and the payload descends to earth under parachute. The flight is expected to take a total of about three hours. A Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) has been filed to alert pilots to the presence of a weather balloon flight in the area at this time.
The payload will carry sensor, video and radio tracking equipment using teacher Kelly Shulman’s call sign VE3KLX, as well as a solar radiation experiment designed by student Liam Kelly. Data from the flight will provide experimental results for future flights and classroom activities as well as an authentic context for course materials.
The North Bay Amateur Radio Club will be onsite to provide a tracking check and radio reception throughout the flight.
A retrieval team is set to pursue the payload. Flight path prediction models indicate that the payload is expected to land in the Powassan-Nipissing area.
If the payload is found by a member of the public, they are kindly asked to contact West Ferris Intermediate Secondary School at 705-475-2333.
For more information, please contact:
Kelly Shulman (VE3KLX)
West Ferris Intermediate Secondary School
P. 705-475-2333
E.
Background information:
High Altitude Balloon programs, like those at West Ferris School in North Bay and at Shaftesbury High School in Winnipeg, encourage youth to participate in the world of science and technology and the teachers use Amateur Radio as a key tool.
For more information about this ongoing project, please contact Kelly Shulman, VE3KLX, from West Ferris Intermediate Secondary School at .
Information about last year’s balloon launch can be found at:
Northern Ontario High School Students to Launch High Altitude Balloon
Radio Amateurs of Canada, through its Youth Education Program and its Scholarship and Grant Program – completely funded by donations from RAC members and affiliated clubs – is pleased to supported HAB flights and other youth-oriented programs and activities involving Amateur Radio across the country (see https://wp.rac.ca/shaftsbury-high-school-receives-grant-from-rac/).
– Thanks to Kelly Shulman, VE3KLX, for this information.