Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project

Hanover High School is excited to be part of NASA’s NEBP (Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project), where high school and undergraduate teams collaborate to gather data during solar eclipses. Selected as one of only five high school teams nationwide, we will launch high-altitude balloons to retrieve data during two eclipses. The first launch will occur in Oregon during the morning of October 14th, 2023, coinciding with an annular eclipse. The second launch will take place in northern Vermont during the afternoon of April 8th, 2024, during a total eclipse.

The NEBP is a nationwide initiative that immerses “teams from a wide range of higher education institutions in… data acquisition and analysis through scientific ballooning during… solar eclipses.” (Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) | Science Mission Directorate). Of the many topics being conjointly investigated, the Hanover High pod is specifically researching how atmospheric gravity waves can be definitively detected in data. Stationed at Realms High School in Bend, Oregon, from October 12 to October 15, the team meticulously pieced together the components shipped earlier. This included ground station elements and 12 payloads slated for attachment to the airborne balloon. Despite minimal transit damage to the equipment, the team showcased their adept skills in assembling both ground station components and balloon payloads with utmost precision.