TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN). — It's a big day for students at Catalina Foothills High School as they launch a sub-orbital balloon in hopes to get high enough to reach the outside of the Earth's atmosphere.
The 10-person team launches the Falcon-5, a balloon probe to explore near space. They say the Falcon-5 is even bigger and better than last year's Falcon-4. It is equipped with new GPS receivers for locating payloads, a new GPS satellite communicator for sending out the tracking signal, and a team drone for searching the air to retrieve the balloon once it returns to Earth.
They also have a dual camera system that will give us a nearly 360-degree panoramic view from onboard the spacecraft.
Alumnus, Kameron Norwood, is sponsoring this launch. Norwood's gift of $5,000 will allow the sub-orbital balloon team at Catalina Foothills High School to keep this STEM program going for at least 5 more years.
This is the fifth year they have been doing this and it has been rescheduled twice this year due to weather. The launch is set to begin at 7:30 a.m. Friday morning in the center of the CFHS plaza. It is expected to land somewhere in Southern Arizona after a three hour flight. Students will go retrieve the balloon around 9 a.m.
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Brooke Chau is a reporter for KGUN 9. She was a part of Fresno State's newscast, Fresno State Focus and interned at KFSN-ABC30 in Fresno, CA before coming to KGUN 9. Share your story ideas and important issues with Brooke by emailing brooke.chau@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
