Abstract
Mt. Edgecumbe, a predominantly native residential high school, participated in the collaborative 2017 Solar Eclipse Ballooning project to film the moon’s umbra during the total solar eclipse. This project provided an educational experience for students that allowed them to develop STEM skills. The project engaged sixteen high school students through the academic year, six of those students traveled to Corvallis Oregon to deploy the High Altitude Balloon, and four have gone on to college pursing STEM related fields. The common eclipse payload developed by Montana Space Grant was integrated into the high school’s science and technology class. The construction and testing of the payload provided a conduit to teach topics related to the eclipse such as the solar system, engineering design process, electrical engineering, robotics and GPS tracking. The students developed technical skills such as soldering, programming and troubleshooting and experienced system integration as a team while testing the common payload and ground station. These newly developed engineering skills were put to the test in Corvallis as the team resolved un-anticipated problems with payload and ground station failures as well as a launch mishap. The students’ demonstrated resiliency in the face of disaster, came together as a team, and ultimately had a successful launch.
Overcoming Disaster and Becoming Successful in the 2017 Solar Eclipse High Altitude Ballooning Project
Mt. Edgecumbe, a predominantly native residential high school, participated in the collaborative 2017 Solar Eclipse Ballooning project to film the moon’s umbra during the total solar eclipse. This project provided an educational experience for students that allowed them to develop STEM skills. The project engaged sixteen high school students through the academic year, six of those students traveled to Corvallis Oregon to deploy the High Altitude Balloon, and four have gone on to college pursing STEM related fields. The common eclipse payload developed by Montana Space Grant was integrated into the high school’s science and technology class. The construction and testing of the payload provided a conduit to teach topics related to the eclipse such as the solar system, engineering design process, electrical engineering, robotics and GPS tracking. The students developed technical skills such as soldering, programming and troubleshooting and experienced system integration as a team while testing the common payload and ground station. These newly developed engineering skills were put to the test in Corvallis as the team resolved un-anticipated problems with payload and ground station failures as well as a launch mishap. The students’ demonstrated resiliency in the face of disaster, came together as a team, and ultimately had a successful launch.