As part of a group of ham radio operators that enjoys experimenting with high attitude weather balloons we are now getting ready to try a new adventure, this will involve using special balloons that have been known to stay up for as long as two years and circle the world several times. We have been successful with the high attitude balloons, such as the one we launched at the end of August last year, (2019).
Our original intention was to send this balloon up to about 130,000 feet, but the computer models of the upper level wind currents at the time suggested that if we sent it up that high it would burst somewhere over the Alabama river swamp and the payload package and parachute would likely end up in the tree tops in the river swamp making it impossible for us to recover.
After checking we decided to only send the balloon up to somewhere around 115,000 feet, this would bring the balloon back to the east after reaching it's maximum attitude somewhere around Huxford. The payload parachuted down in the middle of a crossroads, in Excel, making it easy to recover.
Since we launched the weather balloon in August we have been experimenting with a different type of balloon, this are special balloons that other people have sent up and they have stayed in the air for up to two years and circled the world several times during this period. The difference in these balloons are that instead of rising to 23 or 24 miles these balloons will only rise to about 40,000 feet and should stay in the jet stream allowing them to circle the world. We have actually sent two of the these balloons up in the past couple of months and learned a good bit from each one.
The measurements have to really be precise for these to be successful. These balloons will have a very small but smart payload package. These balloons will not only have GPS on them, but will also report the weather conditions, and speed and attitude of the balloon back to us through a network of APRS stations all around the world.
These balloons will also know when they are over a country that does not allow the balloon to transmit over the particular country it's over. When the balloons are over the Atlantic or Pacific oceans where there are no land based APRS stations, it will report through the APRS station on-board the International Space Station when it is in range of the balloons.
Our intention is to get local schools involved and have a around the world race between the schools, at this time we have two local schools involve, we have Flomaton and T.R. Miller. Any other local school is welcome to join in the project, and to let everyone know there is a small cost for the balloon. We would like for the students to get involve in this from start to finish, we will provide any technical assistance required.
We want to have this during the next few weeks while hopefully the jet stream is still far enough south for the balloons to be able to get in it within just a day or so. If you are interested in this you can contact George ([email protected]) or me, Jim ([email protected]) for more information. We hope we can get the students interested in science and show them learning can be fun, even in the smaller towns.
I know this is just the first of January but time gets away from us and before you know it, it will be the month of May, which usually means Saw Mill Day and the Saw Mill Day Car Show. It's always a great car show and many interesting vendors at Sawmill Day. You are always welcome to join the ASHS and the Leach House Museum is open every Saturday from 10 AM until 2 PM., with many interesting items and books on the local area history on sale. The ASHS meets the third Tuesday of the month at the Leach House Museum 610 4th street in Century. We also have a Facebook group that you are invited to join if you have a interest in our local history. Join us for a meeting and consider becoming a member of the Alger Sullivan Historical Society.
