Weather Balloon built in Cheshire

A sounding balloon and platform built by Cheshire Academy’s AP physics class will soon launch into a near space location to collect images of the curvature of the earth, according to a statement from the school.

The device will travel to an altitude of 33,000 meters and expand from six feet in diameter to nearly 30 feet.

The class will launch the balloon in mid-April at a location near the Connecticut and New York border, wrote Carrie Moores of Cheshire Academy. She wrote that the device is expected to collect atmospheric particles near space, and take photographs from two different cameras attached to the platform built by students.

“There is a hair of this that’s out of my control; there are so many different variables that could make this project a success or failure. It is all about making science a more tangible experience for the kids. Creating a lesson that they can touch, sense, and question. If it’s not real life, then it’s not worth doing," said physics instructor Ray Cirmo

The construction and progress of the weather balloon project will be featured on the Cheshire Academy Facebook page, and updates will be live-tweeted from the Cheshire Academy Twitter account on launch day.