Calthorpe project out of this world
STUDENTS at Calthorpe Park School in Fleet are over the moon after managing to send a camera into space.
Members of the school’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths) club designed equipment to capture the curvature of the Earth, which was lifted into orbit using a helium-filled weather balloon.
They sent an insulated capsule – containing a highresolution camera, GPS tracking equipment and weather-measuring sensors – 32km up into the edge of ‘near space’, an altitude of more than 104,000 feet.
Their balloon, complete with a Calthorpe Park banner and stuffed toy mascot, needed approval from the Civil Aviation Authority to pass through UK airspace.
As Fleet is on the main Heathrow Airport flight path, it had to be launched near Newbury in Berkshire. The students set up a mission control base in the school library, where they analysed feedback from the weather sensors with help from Calthorpe Park staff members Donna Wilson, David Lugg and David Hainsworth.
They also worked with PhD students from Southampton University’s Spaceflight Association to track the balloon throughout its four-hour flight until it eventually landed in a garden near Alresford.
Mr Hainsworth said he explained the significance of the feat to the students by referring to skydiver Felix Baumgartner’s record-breaking Red Bull Stratos jump from space in 2012, which was from a height of 39km.
“The science behind our balloon launch was truly amazing,” he said.
““We were all extremely pleased that our balloon reached a height of 32km above earth, high enough to see and record the curvature of the earth.”
One of the students involved, 12-year-old Jack Pollock, said: “This was one of the most enjoyable and interesting projects I have ever been involved with in STEM club.
“It was great when we managed to retrieve the payload and camera and analyse the video footage.”
Headteacher Martin Amos said: “This project has captured the students’ imagination and demanded a high level of problem-solving skills to bring it to completion.
“The students were overwhelmed by the success of the project. They are currently working on a film to show to the rest of the school, to inspire their classmates and hopefully others as well.”
To watch a video of the launch, visit www.gethampshire.co.uk.