Seton Hall Prep STEM class launches high-pressure balloons to circle the globe

STEM students at Seton Hall Prep are creating balloons to circle the globe.

News 12 Staff

Feb 27, 2021, 11:53 AM

Updated 1,387 days ago

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STEM students at Seton Hall Prep are creating balloons to circle the globe.
The school’s STEM class launched a pair of high-pressure balloons back in January while learning about meteorology.
The monthlong planning was aimed at getting a pair of feather-weight balloons and payloads off the ground and riding the winds at an optimum 45,000 feet to travel the world.
It's an all-time record for not one but two balloons to be launched successfully. The students hope to break the six times around the Earth record.
“Before the balloon launch, I had no idea what to expect,” says project manager Patrick McGowan. “I had zero experience. I doubt anyone on the team had any experience either, and with the margin of error with these being so slim as is, we were unsure the balloon would even make it to Europe. That being said, everyone on the team approached the situation as professionally and as businesslike as possible, all making sure that everything went as smooth as possible. Because of that, the launch went off without a hitch and we shattered expectations, making it three times around the world and going."
The balloons were tracked over Italy, Israel and Syria -- and are still flying. They sailed over the Atlantic Ocean twice and Wednesday will mark four weeks since they were launched.
The students will be holding a seminar for other schools to present their findings later this year at Montclair State University.