HABSAT
A High altitude balloon experiment
HABSAT KIT
Have you ever wondered where party balloons go when you release them? Could that balloon travel over 15 miles up into the atmosphere?! The HABSAT kit provides the equipment and instruction so that you can launch and track your very own High Altitude Balloon (HAB)!
Our team has launched hundreds of balloons over the years and have used our experiences to develop a system and step-by-step guide so that you can launch your own HAB without any prior experience! Your students will love seeing this big balloon fill up, counting down to let it go, watching where it goes on a map in real-time, and even seeing some plots of data it’s gathering!
So what’s the lesson in all this? Your students can learn about several topics such as the atmosphere, data, and how scientists follow steps and write things down! Who knows, maybe the next James Spann (famous weatherman) is just waiting to spring from your class!
Provided Materials
- 1 StratoTrack
- 1 Extra battery
- 3 Zip ties
- 1 200 Gram latex balloon
- 1 Helium Tank
- 1 Inflator hose and inflator connector
- 2 Hose clamps
- 1 Wrench
- 1 Balloon launch guide printed
- “How to Track Call Sign” printed handouts
What you NEED to Provide
- Scissors (strong enough to cut a zip tie)
- Pen/Pencil
- Phone or Camera to take pictures and video
What you CAN provide
NOT REQUIRED!!!!!
- Extra helium tank and party balloons to blow up personal balloons for everyone in your class
- Any resources listed on this page such as relevant books
RampUp Kit Resources
Teacher Curated Lesson Plans
All Lesson Plans
Weather, Weather Everywhere! (Grade K) Anonymous Author
Balloons, Balloons! Comparing Hot Air and High-Altitude Balloons (Grade 2) Anonymous Author
Investigating Data with Weather Balloons (Grade 3) Adapted from a Lesson Plan by Ms. Erin from Julian Harris Elementary School
Exploring Energy with Weather Balloons (Grade 4) Anonymous Author
Weather, Weather Everywhere! (Grade K)
Weather, Weather Everywhere! (Grade K) Anonymous Author
Digital Materials:
Books
- Weather, National Geographic Kids | Buy with Amazon | Buy with Scholastic | Read Aloud Link
- Weather Words by Gail Gibbons | Read Aloud Link
- Weather Forecasting by Gail Gibbons
Videos
Handouts (Optional)
Balloons, Balloons! (Grade 2)
Balloons, Balloons! Comparing Hot Air and High-Altitude Balloons (Grade 2) Anonymous Author
Digital Materials:
Books
- Please Bring Balloons by Lindsay Ward | Read Aloud Link
Videos
- Colorful Time-Laps of Hot Air Balloons in New Mexico
- CAP High Altitude Balloon Challenge 2021 (Highlights)
- What is a High-Altitude Balloon?
- How Do Hot Air Balloons Work?
Investigating Data (Grade 3)
Investigating Data with Weather Balloons (Grade 3) Adapted from a Lesson Plan by Ms. Erin from Julian Harris Elementary School
Digital Materials:
Videos
Handouts
Website
Exploring Energy (Grade 4)
Exploring Energy with Weather Balloons (Grade 4) Anonymous Author
Digital Materials:
Books
- Oh, the Places You’ll Go! by Dr. Seuss | Read Aloud Link
Videos
Handouts
Quiz for Evaluation
Supplementary Materials
Hands On Activities
Cheap measurement activity ideas
Have your students draw what the sky looked like at the launch time
Sink or float experiment (since the balloon rises due to buoyancy force)
Handouts
Books
NOTE: The following books have not been pre-screened.
Grades PK-1:
- Weather, National Geographic Kids | Buy with Amazon | Buy with Scholastic
Grades PK-2:
- Please Bring Balloons by Lindsay Ward
Grades K-3:
- Weather Forecasting by Gail Gibbons
- Weather Words by Gail Gibbons
- Flight for Freedom: The Wetzel Family’s Daring Escape from East Germany
Grades K-4:
Grades 1-4:
Grades 3-6:
Grades 4-7:
Other Books:
Videos
Book Readthroughs:
Grades PK-K
- All About Weather: A First Weather Book for Kids (~8 minutes)
Grades PK-1
- Weather, National Geographic Kids (~7 minutes)
Grades PK-2
- Please Bring Balloons (~5 minutes)
Grades PK-3
- Oh Say Can you Say What’s the Weather Today? (~11 minutes)
- Air is All Around You (~5 minutes)
Grades PK-8
- The Meteorologist in me (~9 minutes)
Grades K-3
- Weather Words (~8 minutes)
All Ages
- Oh, the Places You’ll Go! (~10 minutes)
Other Videos:
Grades K-5
- Weather for kids (~8 min)
- How do we know when it will rain (~4 min)
- Balloon in a Bottle Experiment (~9 min)
- How does Temperature affect air pressure (Simple balloon demonstration) (~2 min)
Grades 3-5
- All About Weather (~17 min)
- Weather Balloons and Radiosondes (~3 min)
Non-Graded
- High Altitude Balloon Footage (~2 min)
- What is a high altitude balloon? (~5 min)
- Why and How We Launch Weather Ballons (~3 min)
- Colorful Time-Lapse of Hot Air Balloons in New Mexico (~3 min)
- CAP High-Altitude Balloon Challenge 2021 (Highlights) (~2 min)
- What is a High-Altitude Balloon? (~5 min)
- How do Hot Air Balloons Work? (~4 min)
- Helium 101 by National Geographic (~3 min)
- Wheeler School Talk – Weather Tools and Instruments (~5 min)
Educational Sites
RAMP UP is supported by the Missile Defence Agency. All materials are free.