Louisiana Students Loft Payloads from NASA Balloon Facility in Texas

Eleven student-built payloads recently reached near-space altitudes, courtesy of the LaACES program — a NASA-backed initiative bringing Louisiana undergraduates and high school students into real scientific research. Nine university teams and one high school program spent months designing experiments in atmospheric science, cosmic ray detection, thermal management, and solar cell performance, then sent their payloads skyward from NASA's Columbia Scientific Balloon Facility in Palestine, Texas. According to NASA News, the balloons carried between seven and nine pounds each to the upper atmosphere and were successfully recovered roughly sixty miles north of the launch site. The student teams then analyzed their data and presented their findings to NASA engineers, faculty mentors, and their peers — a direct look at how professional scientific research operates. Since its inception, LaACES has supported more than five hundred students across thirteen institutions, launching over sixty balloon flights with roughly one hundred thirty-five unique payloads, helping build the next generation of scientists and engineers.

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