Near Space Project
The UWSP Society of Physics Students in collaboration with physics students
from the Stevens Point Area High School launched a helium weather balloon
in the spring of 2000. Hanging from the balloon was a payload box
containing a camera, a radiation monitor, a temperature sensor, and a GPS
transmitter. The balloon reached an altitude of about 100,000 ft
over Oshkosh, WI before the balloon popped, as planned. As the balloon
floated back down, the signal from the GPS transmitter was lost.
Assuming the worst, most people thought the balloon had landed in large
Lake Winnebago. However, a week after the launch, Shawn Enneper from
Chilton, WI called the physics department saying he had found the balloon
hanging from a tree. Everyone was happy to recover the parachute
and payload. Unfortunately the camera malfunctioned, so no pictures
were taken from the balloon. The SPS plans to launch the balloon
again in the near future.
More Photos
UWSP SPS home page
UWSP Physics & Astronomy
UWSP home page