Designing a Lesson Plan on Weather Balloons : Igniting scientific exploration & a love of learning

NASA Global Space Apps Hackathon

Presentation by A. Sagalovitch

Challenge: “Near-Space, Near You”

Team: Space Jam

High Altitude Balloon Tracking Tools by Habhub.org Created by Cambridge University:

With data from NOAA https://registry.opendata.aws/noaa-gfs-bdp-pds/

Overview

• Create a lesson activity to spark love of learning using Weather Balloons as a proxy for experimentation in near space conditions.

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• Encourage students to explore scientific, engineering and mathematical concepts relating to Earth’s Atmosphere, Weather Balloon design, Balloon path trajectory calculations and simulations, and experimentation design.

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• Consider launch locations, impact of population density and payload retrieval on site selection, consideration of environmental factors and data sources

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• Review prior experiments and experiences, ranging from comedy/entertainment to scientific endeavors

Motivation

• Examples of Balloon “powered”

flights for scientific inquiry and

others

• Explain how Balloons have been for decades to collect scientific data

Materials to be Reviewed with Students

• Earth’s Atmosphere and Background:
• https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/technology-and-atmosphere/
• https://www.nasa.gov/feature/balloons-offer-near-space-access-for-space-biology-researchers
• Weather Balloon design and Background:
• https://launchwithus.com/lwu-blog/2016/01/03/free-step-by-step-instruction-guide-for-hab-launches
• https://launchwithus.com/lwu-blog/2016/01/21/high-altitude-weather-balloon-laws-and-regulations/
• https://sites.wff.nasa.gov/code820/facilities_csbf.html and https://www.kaymont.com/shop
• https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/nineteen-miles-up-experiment-reveals-earth-microbes-likely-fate-on-mars
• Balloon path trajectory calculations and simulations
• http://weather.uwyo.edu/upperair/balloon_traj.html
• https://predict.habhub.org/ input payload mass (including parachute) and balloon mass, select output that you wish to calculate either burst altitude or assent rate
• Experimentation design :
• https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1005/1/012048/pdf
• https://via.library.depaul.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1142&context=ahac

Impact:

• Excite and motivate younger students to pursue scientific inquiry and engage with NASA and NOAA data
• Encourage students to create their own plans based on DIY instructions, materials, flight plan calculations, and experimentation ideas.
• Given the low cost of materials for both balloons, IoT devices, many possibilities .

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Balloon Trajectory Forecasts calculator by the University of Wyoming with NOAA GFS Data pt 1 :

https://registry.opendata.aws/noaa-gfs-bdp-pds/

Balloon Trajectory Forecasts calculator by the University of Wyoming with NOAA GFS Data pt 2 :

https://registry.opendata.aws/noaa-gfs-bdp-pds/

Thank you & Sources

1. NPR (2019) "The World is Constantly Running Out of Helium Here's Why it Matters". URL: https://www.npr.org/2019/11/01/775554343/the-world-is-constantly-running-out-of-helium-heres-why-it-matters
2. Launch With Us (2016) Near Space Balloon Balloon Burst Calculator URL: https://launchwithus.com/lwu-blog/2016/6/26/near-space-balloon-burst-altitude-calculator-sceience
3. The Late Show with Stephen Colbert - Skit About Astronaut Ice Cream Launch and Retrieve. URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=69l15CZ-ZCY
4. NASA Tabor, A. (2017) Scientific Balloons : Nineteen Miles Up, Experiment Reveals Earth Microbes’ Likely Fate on Mars. URL: https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/nineteen-miles-up-experiment-reveals-earth-microbes-likely-fate-on-mars
5. Mohamed Thaheer A S et al (2018) "Development and Testing of a USM High Altitude Balloon" J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1005 012048. URL: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1742-6596/1005/1/012048/pdf
6. National Geographic (2019) "Source Library Encyclopedia Entry: Atmosphere." URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/atmosphere/
7. National Geographic (2019) "Resource Library Encyclopedic Entry: Air" URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/air/
8. National Geographic (2021) "Resource Library Encyclopedic Entry: Technology and the Atmosphere" URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/article/technology-and-atmosphere
9. Launch With Us (2016) Near Space Balloon Balloon Burst Calculator. URL: https://launchwithus.com/lwu-blog/2016/6/26/near-space-balloon-burst-altitude-calculator-sceience
10. Associated Press ( 2008) "'Balloon-atic' in lawn chair aims to fly 300 miles". NBC News. URL: https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna25508563 ; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MUegI0WLn8
11. ABC News (May 27, 2008 , July 11, 2007) "Fly Away: Man Uses Balloon, Lawn Chair to Float Away" URL: https://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=3365726
12. NASA (2017) Balloon Launch Locations. URL: https://www.nasa.gov/scientificballoons/launch-locations
13. Launch With Us (2015) High Altitude Balloon (HAB) Flight Path Prediction Guide. URL: https://launchwithus.com/lwu-blog/2015/12/29/space-camp-lesson-3-flight-path-prediction
14. Greig, A., Randall, S. (2010) Cambridge University Spaceflight Landing Predictor (github) URL: https://predict.habhub.org/
15. Stafford. S, Knighton, B. (). High Altitude Balloon Flight Predictions.Montana State University- Bozeman. URL: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/atmosphere/
16. NOAA . What to do if you find a weather balloon/radiosonde URL: https://www.weather.gov/upperair/radiosonde
17. University of Illinois (). A tutorial about GEOPOTENTIAL HEIGHT . URL : https://www.weather.gov/source/zhu/ZHU_Training_Page/Miscellaneous/Heights_Thicknesses/thickness_temperature.htm
18. University of Wyoming (2021) Upper Air Maps . URL: http://weather.uwyo.edu/cgi-bin/uamap?REGION=naconf&OUTPUT=gif&TYPE=obs&TYPE=an&LEVEL=500&date=2021-10-03&hour=12

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