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SCIENCE
Spacetronauts.
We were in a class at Maconaquah Elementary School called
“Spacetronauts.” We learned a lot about science, technology,
and math in this fun class. We did balloon launches, science
experiments, and we kept science journals.
Space Port Indiana is a member of the
commercial space industry offering
both commercial and educational
opportunities to people of all ages and
backgrounds. Space Port conducts
several STEM/PBL based classes,
camps and events throughout the
year are open to students ages 7 and
older. The mission of Space Port is to
immerse students in space and earth
science through hands on experiences
in Astronomy, Engineering, Robotics,
Space Craft, and more.
First, we sent a balloon into the Earth’s atmosphere. Brian Tanner,
from Space Port Indiana, brought the balloon and the hydrogen
gas for the balloon. The balloon was probably 8-9 ft. tall. It was
connected to a box filled with science experiments that our class
wanted to test. Five of our experiments were chosen for each
balloon launch. The box with the experiments would go into the sky
The Space Port’s award winning
programming and curriculum is a
great fit and encourages partnerships
between schools, educators and our
Mission Specialists.
The new Space Port Exploration Centre
will open in 2015 and offer training in
UAVs, 3D Printing, exhibits, interactive
displays and historical artifacts. To
schedule a classroom visit or attend
events visit www.spaceportindiana.
com.
with the balloon. For example, one of the science experiments was
about seeing if crayons melted, froze, or both at different elevations.
The balloon stayed up for about two hours.
Also connected to the balloon was a tracker. We tracked where the
balloon went for approximately half of the school day. We used our
computers to connect with the tracking device on the balloon. We
computed how much higher the balloon was getting by the minute.
We also made predictions where the balloon would land according
to the speed of the balloon.
When the balloon came down, some volunteers drove to get the
balloon. One time, our balloon was struck by lightening! Once the
12 Inspired
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