Medford, Ore. – Local students who happen to be helping NASA are sharing the view from one of their high-altitude balloon tests.
The North Medford High School High Altitude Balloon Team tried to break an altitude record Sunday by launching a balloon 100,000 feet above southern Oregon.
The students are under a lot of pressure as they prepare for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
They are one of 54 teams spread across the United States testing balloons with video cameras at high altitudes in order to film the solar eclipse and broadcast it on live NASA television.
Sunday’s test flight yielded dramatic images of our region, including a shot of Crater Lake from an altitude of around 18 miles.
“It’s a first for the United States to do this,” said astrophotographer John Bunyan. “We’ve never had an eclipse view from 80 to 100 thousand feet that will be live broadcast from TV. So this is something that these high school students should be very proud of.”
The eclipse will pass over Oregon on August 21st around 10:15 a.m.
(All photos courtesy of the North Medford High School High Altitude Balloon Team.)
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