The countdown struck zero at precisely 9:03 AM on April 4, 2014, as three Title I Albuquerque Public Schools, working together with the New Mexico Space Studies (NMSS) group, successfully launched a High Altitude Balloon (HAB) to an altitude of over 82,000 feet, into an area high above us called “Near Space”. The HAB mission featured true scientific payloads built by Carlos Rey Elementary School, West Mesa High School and Valley High School students. In addition to the balloon and the payload return parachute, the scientific experiments included still and video cameras, computer-controlled air data sensors, radiation detectors, communication equipment, microbe samples, and a RADAR reflector.
| Over 600 excited parents, students and teachers gathered on the Carlos Rey Elementary School soccer field to share the excitement of “hands-on” science, and to witness and participate in the launch of the balloon, becoming a vital part of the wider effort in the three schools to emphasize Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). The balloon launch “launched” an on-going partnership between the South Valley and North Valley schools and the NMSS. | 
High School Students, Teachers and Mentors Inflating Balloon and Preparing Payloads for Launch
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Immediately following the launch, high school students and local amateur radio operators tracked the flight using radio-location services, and recovered the balloon two hours after it landed high in the Pecos Mountains. The balloon soared at speeds of up to 150 mph to an altitude of 82 thousand feet, ultimately bursting exactly as planned, and parachuting the students’ experimental payloads back to earth for recovery and analysis by fellow school students.
Carlos Rey Elementary School Moments After Balloon Launch
The HAB launch and STEM Community Event also provided an opportunity for the students from the three partner schools to show off their many other STEM projects to parents and guests, including student-designed high-power rockets, “Sea Perch” underwater robots, and computer equipment used for student “Cyber Patriot” competitions. The High Desert Amateur Radio Club set up an operating amateur (ham) radio station, allowing interested kids to talk to others around the world, including talking with “radio hams” in Russia.
The students are eagerly looking forward to their next science experiment with high-altitude balloons and remotely-operated underwater robots.
The students are eagerly looking forward to their next science experiment with high-altitude balloons and remotely-operated underwater robots.
Carlos Rey Students using Flight Simulators at Valley High School.
The participating schools are creating a trajectory where the magic of science, technology, engineering, and math will be taught using hands-on learning, starting in elementary school and continuing until high school graduation. The goal of the STEM initiative is to produce more high school graduates better prepared to go into technical fields. The merging of High Altitude Balloon Near-Space Exploration and Amateur Radio with public education represents a new opportunity to place increasing emphasis on, and to give our students greater success with, the curriculum for the future -- Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
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