Garnavillo Students Launch Weather Balloon

By Katie Wiedemann, Reporter

Tools

By Eric Stidman

Story Created: Mar 16, 2012 at 8:45 PM CDT

Story Updated: Mar 16, 2012 at 8:52 PM CDT

GARNAVILLO, Iowa - What started out as a science experiment has become a dream come true for some students at Garnavillo Middle School.

The students launched a massive weather balloon with a camera in hopes of learning something about the weather.

Right now, it’s floating through the air and expected to land about 50 miles away, likely somewhere in Wisconsin.

It’s just a balloon. A little piece of rubber. Easy to inflate, even easier to pop.

But this isn’t just any balloon. It’s part of one boy’s dream.

Garrett Schroeder said, “I’m just trying to break barriers for middle schoolers.”

Schroeder, a 7th grader, thought of the idea back in January.

T.A.G. Coordinator Angie Cook said, “He’s just one of those students that you can just say “ok” to” ”

Schroeder proposed it to teachers as a science experiment.

Cook said, “we want to see the different layers of the atmosphere as it goes up we want to see how the climate changes. ”

Students attached the balloon to a foam cooler. Inside is a video camera and a G.P.S. tracking device.

Two months of planning all came down to the very last minute details.

Schroeder said, “we were like the first middle schoolers to launch this from scratch. Other middle schoolers have had like guy come out and do it for them. ”

Finally the big launch. And away floats Schroeder’s dream, in a not so simple piece of rubber.

Students expect the balloon and camera to return to earth early Saturday morning.

They will check the G.P.S. tracker and start searching for it at 5:00 a.m.