Most of us see the upcoming eclipse as a way to experience something really cool, but to 12 physics students at Eastern Michigan University, the eclipse is more about research than entertainment.
On Monday, April 8, the Atmospheric Physics Exploration team will find out if the high-altitude weather balloon they’ve been building for more than a year and a half will complete its very important mission.
After a year and a half of building, testing & rebuilding, these students have just hours left to perfect a high-altitude weather balloon that could capture a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of the solar eclipse.
That science includes studying atmospheric gravity waves that the Eclipse creates. Think of ripples created by a rock thrown into a pond. Eastern Michigan University is one of just 70 institutions in NASA’s nationwide eclipse ballooning project. This weekend a team of 12 Atmospheric Physics Exploration students led by Professor Dave Pawlowski will travel down to Ohio to begin searching for the optimal launch site. And with only one unsuccessful test run of the balloon in New Mexico, the pressure is on.
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