Eclipse
Blue Mountain Eagle
Wednesday, August 16, 2017
A11
Contributed photos
The view from approximately 90,000 feet above Earth from Dayville School’s High-Altitude Balloon launched last school year.
Viewing the eclipse — from space
By Angel Carpenter
Blue Mountain Eagle
Dayville High School sci-
ence and computer teacher
Jim Latshaw and his students
will host a North Medford
High School astronomy club,
sending two high-altitude bal-
loons soaring 90,000 feet up,
near the edge of space, during
Monday’s total solar eclipse.
The group is set to launch
from Dayville School.
“I ran through high-altitude
balloon launches last year in a
computer class,” Latshaw said.
GPS trackers and computer
simulations were used to proj-
ect the landing, and Geograph-
ic Information System data
tracked the flight path.
Monday’s launch will in-
clude one balloon with video
payload, with a camera aimed
at the sun, and the other bal-
loon will have instrumentation,
monitoring temperature and
gama radiation.
The event will be live-
streamed through NASA’s
website, which will track the
eclipse from 58 sites across the
United States.
Latshaw said they enter
the parameters on the internet,
tracking how quickly the bal-
loons ascend and what altitude
the balloons rupture, and Goo-
gle Maps predicts where the
flight path.
Latshaw said his students
have the opportunity to partic-
ipate.
“They’ve been trained, and
I’m hoping they show,” he
said. “It’s exciting for us all. It’s
exciting science.”
To see the livestream video,
visit Eclipse2017.nasa.gov.
OREGON CAPITAL
INSIDER
Students in Dayville teacher Jim Latshaw’s computer class learn the ropes for launching
high-altitude balloons during the 2016-17 school year. Dayville students in the photo are
Michael Jagger, back left, Austin Walker and Gabe Walker, right. Latshaw, his students and
a North Medford astronomy club will launch two balloons on Monday with the eclipse
livestreamed on NASA’s website.
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