Summary:
- Local children from East Harlem's Taft Houses launched a high altitude balloon into the atmosphere as part of a science experiment.
- The project was organized by Solutions Now, a non-profit aiming to expose underserved NYCHA children to STEM and outdoor programs.
- Collaborating with balloon hobbyist John Garashe, the young scientists attached everyday items to the balloon to observe the effects of altitude.
- The balloon reached an altitude of nearly 95,000 feet and landed in a backyard in Danbury, Connecticut.
- The experiment demonstrates the impact of community collaboration and hands-on learning in inspiring young students' interest in science.
A group of local children is learning about science in a unique way. They sent a balloon way up into the atmosphere and the balloon's incredible trip was captured on video. CBS News Elijah Westbrook reports.
It's a massive feat of engineering and its designers are these young scientists from East Harlem's Taft Houses. They're building a high altitude balloon. Their goal is to launch it as far as space.
Sometimes it's the things that you least expect that are the most impactful. Richard Habisham is the president and founder of Solutions Now, who also sent us these clips of the building process. The program is a non-profit he started in 2020 with the goal of exposing young underserved NYCHA children to STEM and outdoor experimental programs. Solutions Now embarked on an ambitious project in collaboration with these young minds from Taft Houses, its residents association plus leaders from City College. The mission of Solutions Now is to figure out how do we bring a community together with all the talent that we have. And it's that sense of community which helped him land a partnership with balloon hobbyist John Garashe who is spearheading a high altitude balloon experiment. We're actually ready to go.
The children decided to attach some ordinary items like gummy bears and marshmallows to a platform on the balloon, adding a lesson to see how altitude impacts these everyday things. This has been our latex. Latex, yep. It's latex. It's not like party balloons except a whole lot bigger. So when it's on the ground and we fill it up it gets to about nine feet in diameter. And as it goes up there's less and less air pressure pushing in and eventually gets to about 40 feet in diameter.
And then there'll be another camera right here. Nearly a month of planning went into the experiment before this small group of kids traveled by bus to Somers Westchester County to test it out. Oh that is beautiful. We're talking about an hour and a half span from launch to when it fell back down. It landed in Somers backyard. It did land in Somers backyard. In Danbury, Connecticut.
In Danbury, Connecticut. They walked up to his house knocked on the door and told him who I was and what we were doing and I mentioned my balloon landed. And he's like, you know, I thought I heard something out there. Garashe provided us with this footage of the balloon's trip nearly 95,000 feet in the atmosphere. And then at the age of 18, Kaden Grant says he was mesmerized. It was so cool and I thought I saw the big star. Oh, okay.
And then did you hear the balloon landed in someone's backyard? Yeah, I thought he was in trouble. Luckily no one was in trouble. It's those simple moments making the world of a difference in these kids' lives. In East Harlem, Elijah Westbrook, CBS 2 News.
The young scientists' high altitude balloon experiment has captured the attention and imagination of both the local community and the wider public, showcasing the potential of engaging young minds in STEM education and exploration.