Students launch Nearspace balloons, collect experiments and learn coding

Students and staff told the Marion Community Schools board on May 12 about two Nearspace high-altitude balloon launches that gave students hands-on STEM experience in designing experiments, coding sensors and tracking flight data.

"Hi, I'm Trinity. Sixth grade. I helped set up the balloon launch," the student told the board, introducing the student role in the project.

Program leads said students partnered with Nearspace (a satellite-launch company and its nonprofit Space Education arm) to design experiments — for example, sending radish seeds into the stratosphere to test effects of pressure, temperature and radiation on germination and growth. Presenters said the first launch, dubbed "Justice One," went to about 90,000 feet and returned payloads, video and sensor data. Students measured plant height and leaf counts and concluded the stratospheric flight had "little to no effect" on the seeds.

Students also built Raspberry Pi sensor packages for a later flight to log weather and altitude data. Presenters said a power-port short about 15 minutes after launch caused a data loss on that payload, though teams recovered some materials on return. Launches traveled tens of miles from launch sites (presenters cited recoveries in Ohio at distances up to about 113 miles) and required staff tracking to retrieve payloads.

Teachers emphasized the educational value: students coded, assembled payloads, learned spreadsheet/data analysis and experienced the end-to-end scientific method, including troubleshooting when equipment failed. Board members praised the program and suggested documenting the work for potential state-level support and broader partnerships.

The board received the update and offered thanks and congratulations to the students and staff leading the launches.