Purdue University's entry into the 2014 Global Space Balloon Challenge (GSBC) won first place in the best design contest. The annual event is an international education outreach project to encourage people from around the world to build and launch their own high-altitude balloons.
The Purdue team, composed of members of the Association of Mechanical and Electrical Technologists (AMET), built a zero-pressure balloon for the competition.
A radio-fired rocket was supposed to end a quick high-altitude flight near Noblesville, Ind., but an unexpectedly durable balloon led Purdue students on a nine-hour winding odyssey deep into Ohio that ended at the end of dirt road in remote farm country on Saturday (April 19).
The latest high-altitude balloon launch by the Association of Mechanical and Electrical Technologists (AMET) placed them in the news again. The balloon traveled more than 300 miles to near Cleveland, Ohio. After several phone calls to residents in the area, the balloon was located. It arrived back at Purdue five days later, where it was opened in front of local media.
Here are the stories they posted about the launch:
(Photo: This is one of hundreds of photos captured from a recent high-altitude balloon launch sponsored by the student organization known as AMET.)
A high-altitude balloon launch Nov. 16 was just the first step toward a larger goal for the students of the Association of Mechanical and Electrical Technologists (AMET).
