At precisely 08:00, on the morning of 12 December 2014, students and teachers from west side Albuquerque Public Schools came together at West Mesa High School and lit up the morning skies with rockets; built by west side elementary and mid-school students with the help and guidance of the high school JROTC cadets from West Mesa High School, Valley High School and Sandia High School.
Continuing at 09:00, students, parents and staff from the west side partner schools gathered together on the football field and witnessed a rare APS STEM High Altitude Balloon (HAB) launch of not only one, but two balloons carrying scientific experiments, computer-controlled air data sensors, radiation detectors, communication and tracking equipment, still and video cameras, RADAR reflectors; all designed, engineered and integrated by elementary and high school students. The two balloons had different size envelopes, with different weights and payloads. They were launched, tracked and recovered in such a way as to require modeling and prediction of the heights attained and landing locations, and the teams competed to see which balloon matched their predicted flight profile the closest. The WMHS team launched a 2000 Gram balloon which rose to 113,000 feet. The VHS team launched a 1200 Gram balloon which rose to over 100,000 feet. A NASA style Mission Control was created and manned at WMHS where high school students and NMSS mentors tracked the two simultaneous HAB flights using APRS and GPS radio-location services from launch, through flight and recovery. Once both balloons were recovered, they were returned to WMHS for payload and telemetry data analysis by APS students. Both teams set new APS records for altitude and precision.
These activities were part of the APS STEM Trajectory Initiative (STI) which provide a comprehensive and continuous plan for bringing coordinated and synergistic STEM curricula into the K-12 classrooms, as well as to joint field programs such as STEM Days held at participating STI schools. The STI leaders match schools with community groups which provide on-going support for STEM education. The New Mexico Space Studies (NMSS), a group of Amateur Radio enthusiasts, educators and technologists, have supported APS STI since their first mission, and have pioneered safe planning, launch, flight, and recovery operations of FAA approved HAB launches in New Mexico. The STI also receives financial support from the Albuquerque Education Foundation, the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems, Inc,., and Sandia National Labs.
In addition to the featured High Altitude Balloon missions, faculty and staff from WMHS created an agenda full of exciting demonstrations, displays and forums, including a live Amateur Radio station demonstration, compliments of the High Desert Amateur Radio Club, HAB exploration and technology displays, Flight Simulators, demonstrations from the New Mexico Fractal Foundation, robotics exhibits, and TARC Rocketry. Cadets from WMHS and VHS were available at each display, demonstration and forum to answer questions and provide explanations as students moved through a planned rotation schedule.
This Partnership STEM Event is part of the APS STEM Trajectory Initiative, where the magic of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math is taught; starting in elementary school and continuing all the way through high school. The initiative aligns with the feeder school structure and breaks the cycle of low test scores and high truancy by creating a culture of hands-on, real world application of technology, which aligns with the state adopted, Common Core State Standards. 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. For additional information, please contact:
Alma Ripley, Assistant Principal, Carlos Rey Elementary School, 1215 Cerrillos Rd. SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87121, (505) 836-7738, ripley_a@aps.edu
Major Mark Hendricks, USMC (Ret), West Mesa High School NJROTC, 6701 Fortuna Rd NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87121, (505) 417-6314, hendricks_ml@aps.edu.
These activities were part of the APS STEM Trajectory Initiative (STI) which provide a comprehensive and continuous plan for bringing coordinated and synergistic STEM curricula into the K-12 classrooms, as well as to joint field programs such as STEM Days held at participating STI schools. The STI leaders match schools with community groups which provide on-going support for STEM education. The New Mexico Space Studies (NMSS), a group of Amateur Radio enthusiasts, educators and technologists, have supported APS STI since their first mission, and have pioneered safe planning, launch, flight, and recovery operations of FAA approved HAB launches in New Mexico. The STI also receives financial support from the Albuquerque Education Foundation, the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems, Inc,., and Sandia National Labs.
In addition to the featured High Altitude Balloon missions, faculty and staff from WMHS created an agenda full of exciting demonstrations, displays and forums, including a live Amateur Radio station demonstration, compliments of the High Desert Amateur Radio Club, HAB exploration and technology displays, Flight Simulators, demonstrations from the New Mexico Fractal Foundation, robotics exhibits, and TARC Rocketry. Cadets from WMHS and VHS were available at each display, demonstration and forum to answer questions and provide explanations as students moved through a planned rotation schedule.
This Partnership STEM Event is part of the APS STEM Trajectory Initiative, where the magic of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math is taught; starting in elementary school and continuing all the way through high school. The initiative aligns with the feeder school structure and breaks the cycle of low test scores and high truancy by creating a culture of hands-on, real world application of technology, which aligns with the state adopted, Common Core State Standards. 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. For additional information, please contact:
Alma Ripley, Assistant Principal, Carlos Rey Elementary School, 1215 Cerrillos Rd. SW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87121, (505) 836-7738, ripley_a@aps.edu
Major Mark Hendricks, USMC (Ret), West Mesa High School NJROTC, 6701 Fortuna Rd NW, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87121, (505) 417-6314, hendricks_ml@aps.edu.
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