Vt. School Launches, Recovers High-Altitude Balloons

The balloons were rigged with parachutes so that when the balloons expanded past a certain point they would explode and the payloads would parachute to Earth

Students at a Vermont high school have recovered in the state of Maine two balloons launched from their Lyndonville campus, one of which rose to almost 90,000 feet before falling back to earth.

The first balloon launched as part of the Lyndon Institute's Space Balloon Project was launched on Jan. 15. It carried a payload that included a GPS tracker, a camera, and a transponder to locate the balloon.

The second balloon was launched Jan. 22.

The balloons were rigged with parachutes so that when the balloons expanded past a certain point they would explode and the payloads would parachute to Earth.

The Caledonian Record reports the first balloon was recovered near Borestone Mountain, Maine. The second was recovered near Bethel, almost 100 miles southwest of the first.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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