East Bay Students Launch Scientific Balloon That Went 100,000 Feet Up

BERKELEY (KPIX 5) – Students at a middle school in the East Bay took learning to new heights, by launching a balloon with scientific instruments 100,000 feet up into the stratosphere.

Ted Tagami, CEO of Magnitude.io helped the eighth grade science class at Longfellow Middle School launch the balloon that carried two small devices his company donated called CanSats.

"The students have been learning about satellites and about the atmosphere. We actually a small satellite that fits inside a soda can," Tagami told KPIX 5.

The devices didn't get into space, but reached an altitude of about 100,000 feet, recording temperature, humidity and the earth's magnetic field.

Clouds were low, so the balloon disappeared from view pretty quickly. Back in the classroom, the students tracked the balloon online.

Once the balloon popped, it came down by parachute. On Tuesday afternoon, the balloon appeared to have ended up in Contra Costa County, just west of Pittsburg. The class is hoping to find the balloon and recover the data.