LEWISTON — University students in Rochester, N.Y., are looking for their experimental high-altitude weather balloon.
The students expected the balloon to land in upstate New York, but storm winds brought it 400 miles farther to land somewhere between Gray and Lewiston.
The student group behind the experiment is RIT SPEX, short for Rochester Institute of Technology Space Exploration Research Group, and consists of 30-40 students.
According to Greg Livadas, a spokesman for RIT, the balloon’s big departure was Sunday, Oct. 25, after months of working on the project. Once the balloon successfully launched, it picked up speed and altitude. It peaked at 99,000 feet over New Hampshire.
Once the balloon reached Maine, transmission was lost. The exact location where it landed could not be determined.
“The experiments are harmless and were sealed in an orange box, and marked with a return phone number,” Livadas said. “It had a blue and orange parachute. The students would like it returned to see the camera footage and collect data from the unit.”
According to a Time Warner Cable News story, the students “hope to collect readings and data from inside the balloon” to use in their NASA experiment submission. The box attached to the balloon was equipped with hand warmers, seven batteries and a GoPro camera.
August Allen, a fifth-year biomedical engineering student at RIT, was the flight director for the launch. “We weren’t predicting it to travel as far as it did,” he said. “We’re all ready to start on the next balloon launch.”
If you find the weather balloon, please contact the number on the attached orange box or contact August Allen at 315-941-9246.
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