Eclipse Ballooning Project Featuring the University of Maryland

  • Released Wednesday, September 18, 2024
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The NASA-sponsored Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) immerses teams of STEM learners from a wide range of higher education institutions in an innovative NASA-mission-like adventure in data acquisition and analysis through scientific ballooning during the Oct. 14, 2023, annular and April 8, 2024, total solar eclipses.

NEBP includes development and implementation of two learner-centered activity tracks – engineering and atmospheric science. At sites along the eclipse path, student teams in the engineering track use innovative larger balloon systems to live stream video to the NASA eclipse website, observe in situ perturbations in atmospheric phenomena, and conduct individually designed experiments. Atmospheric science track teams make frequent observations by launching hourly radiosondes on helium-filled weather balloons. Student participants work with atmospheric science experts throughout the project and will publish results in peer-reviewed journals.

The project fully supports 53 teams divided into nine pods to facilitate effective education. NEBP provides a learning environment that uses evidence and equity-based practices to make certain the 750+ participants are (and feel) supported, engaged, and valued. In addition, NEBP provides infrastructure tools and best practices to help participating institutions build collaborations that could continue far beyond the scope of this project.

Learn more: https://science.nasa.gov/sciact-team/nationwide-eclipse-ballooning-project/

Travel and Arrival to Launch Site – 4K

The University of Maryland Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, which operates as an engineering track team for the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, rehearses for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses with their NS-117 launch on May 6, 2023, from Everett, PA.

Payload Preparations

The University of Maryland Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, which operates as an engineering track team for the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, rehearses for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses with their NS-117 launch on May 6, 2023, from Everett, PA.

Balloon Operations

The University of Maryland Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, which operates as an engineering track team for the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, rehearses for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses with their NS-117 launch on May 6, 2023, from Everett, PA.

Launch

The University of Maryland Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, which operates as an engineering track team for the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, rehearses for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses with their NS-117 launch on May 6, 2023, from Everett, PA.

Launch – 4K

The University of Maryland Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, which operates as an engineering track team for the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, rehearses for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses with their NS-117 launch on May 6, 2023, from Everett, PA.

Balloon Chase and Recovery

The University of Maryland Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, which operates as an engineering track team for the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, rehearses for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses with their NS-117 launch on May 6, 2023, from Everett, PA.

NEBP Workshop – 4K

The University of Maryland Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, which operates as an engineering track team for the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, leads a workshop for university teams from the southeast region of the U.S. participating in the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses in A. James Clark Hall at the University of Maryland College Park on May 26, 2023. In this portion of the workshop, student teams worked on box building and the pterodacyl payload.

NEBP Presentations

The University of Maryland Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, which operates as an engineering track team for the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, leads a workshop for university teams from the southeast region of the U.S. participating in the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses in A. James Clark Hall at the University of Maryland College Park on May 26, 2023. In this portion of the workshop, Dr. Angela Des Jardins, NEBP's founder and primary investigator, gives a presentation.

A. James Clark Hall Scene Setters – 4K

The University of Maryland Nearspace Balloon Payload Program, which operates as an engineering track team for the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project, leads a workshop for university teams from the southeast region of the U.S. participating in the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses in A. James Clark Hall at the University of Maryland College Park on May 26, 2023.

Credits

Please give credit for this item to:
NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

This page was originally published on Wednesday, September 18, 2024.
This page was last updated on Wednesday, September 25, 2024 at 3:15 PM EDT.