On Monday, April 8, Stockbridge FFA traveled to Indiana to participate in an informational and rare opportunity to view the solar eclipse, as the next won’t take place until 2044. The event featuring the solar eclipse was held in Marion at a park where many people gathered to watch the students’ launch since Indiana was part of the path of totality.
FFA advisor Robert Richards and some select students from the FFA such as Jason Gruber, Brock Rochow and Logan Hollenbeck among others met with NearSpace Education to team up with them to send a high-altitude balloon into the atmosphere.
NSE assisted FFA with payloads, hardware, software and GPS pods that helped track the balloon. They also had 360 degree cameras to capture the eclipse from the sky. The sensor readings from the command pod determined when totality hit and how the temperature and light luminosity changed throughout the event. Once launched, the duration of the flight lasted about two hours before finally landing in Ohio.

One of the students traveling to Indiana, senior Kaden Carpenter, was glad that she was able to be a part of the experience.
“It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Junior Kaden Carpenter said.
Junior Logan Hollenbeck agreed but also gave his own advice.
“Make sure you wear sunscreen even if the sun is covered,” Hollenbeck said.