Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP)
Overview
The Arizona Space Grant Consortium participated in the Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP). The NEBP project was led by Montana Space Grant Consortium, and built on the highly successful NASA and NSF-sponsored NEBP implemented during the 2017, 2019, and 2020 total solar eclipses. The 2023 and 2024 new efforts intended to broaden participation of STEM learners by immersing teams from a wide range of higher education institutions in an innovative NASA-mission-like adventure in data acquisition and analysis through scientific ballooning during the 10/14/2023 annular and 4/8/2024 total solar eclipses. At sites along the eclipse path, student teams live streamed video to the NASA eclipse website, used balloon-borne instruments to observe perturbations in atmospheric phenomena, and conducted individually designed experiments.
NEBP preliminary data is now out! Check out the data, videos and photos of the total solar eclipse, and more by visiting the NEBP website.
See Arizona Space Grant Consortium's eclipse story on Instagram, and review our photos and updates from the project.
Arizona Space Grant's NEBP participating schools included:
- Arizona State University
- Casa Grande Union High School
- Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott
- Phoenix College
- The University of Arizona
Student participants committed to the following:
- Attended a June 5-9, 2023 Engineering West Workshop at Montana State University in Bozeman, MT.
- August 2023: Weekend workshop in Prescott, AZ, to launch 2 practice balloons.
- Completed the NEBP Engineering Course Curriculum. This included 16 fully virtual lessons and took approximately 40 hours to complete.
- Continuing their NEBP work for both the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipse activities (full AY23-24 participation).
- Promoting diversity, a welcoming environment, and being a leader for the team in all aspects.
- Being a good communicator and having some (limited) experience with ballooning / be able to help others on the team with this project.
- Worked to analyze the data and publish the teams’ work in a scientific journal and for NASA websites.
- These efforts are still ongoing, so stay tuned!
Annular Eclipse
Location of Balloon Launch: Roswell, New Mexico
Date: Saturday, October 14, 2023
Travel Dates: (tentatively) Thursday, October 12th – Sunday, October 15th, 2023
Total Solar Eclipse
Location of Balloon Launch: Uvalde, Texas
Date: Monday, April 8, 2024
Travel Dates: (tentatively) Friday, April 5th – Tuesday, April 9th, 2024
For more information on NEBP, please click on the following links:
Primary Goals of NEBP Participation
- Design a 3-pound payload (9 pounds will be reserved for the equipment provided by Montana State University).
- Conduct a scientific experiment onboard.
- Utilize ground and balloon-borne equipment and supplies provided by NASA and Montana State University.
- *Launch into the stratosphere (~100K feet above the Earth's surface) through the utilization of a helium-filled balloon, track the payload's live location with the Iridium tracking system, and recover the scientific payload in accordance with NOTAMS, Air Traffic Control, and FAA Regulations.
- Present data analysis and results at scientific conferences.
- Publish a finalized manuscript to peer-reviewed journals.