San Diego Jewish Academy’s physics students successfully launch high altitude weather balloon to 100,000 feet

San Diego Jewish Academy recently announced the successful launch of a high-altitude weather balloon by its physics students, which traveled roughly 60 miles northeast, was in the air for two hours, reached a height of 100,000 feet and landed in the mountains outside of Pine Hills, according to a news release.

“Completing this project is no easy feat and is typically reserved for university level researchers,” said Adam Borek of San Diego Jewish Academy in the news release. “However, the hard work of our students and faculty made it possible. The students meticulously designed and constructed the payload, developed a sophisticated data computer to capture temperature, pressure, altitude, speed, and successfully used weather forecasting tools to allow for a successful launch and recovery. Their commitment to detail and innovation throughout this process was truly remarkable.”

The project, a culmination of a semester long effort by SDJA’s Maimonides Upper School’s (MUS) physics class “allowed students to integrate their understanding of buoyancy, forces, and motion through the hands-on challenge of designing and constructing a payload and data logger,” said SDJA’s MUS physics teacher Patrick Hagarman in the news release.

In addition to the balloon launch, the SDJA third graders crafted imaginative narratives envisioning the balloon’s journey to the edge of the mesosphere and explored scientific aspects of this project. MUS students also worked alongside the SDJA Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Thinking to explore how the high-altitude balloon would measure different aspects of weather and how weather patterns impacted the launch of the balloon.

Students will now analyze a multitude of data from the project, including GPS positioning, altitude, flight time, temperature, and humidity levels throughout the balloon’s flight.

To view more about SDJA’s Center for Innovation and Entrepreneurial Thinking and other successful projects go to https://www.ciet.academy/about