Embry-Riddle Students Team Up with NASA to Study Total Solar Eclipse | Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

A team of students from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University recently completed a two-year collaboration with NASA as part of the National Eclipse Balloon Project (NEBP) to launch high-altitude weather balloons toward a total solar eclipse to collect valuable stratospheric data.

“High-altitude balloons have long been used to study the atmosphere and are a great way to engage students,” said Dr. Yabin Liao, assistant professor of aerospace engineering and faculty advisor to the student team known as ASCEND. “The NASA-sponsored NEBP project provided students with a fantastic opportunity to explore science and engineering in a meaningful research project.”

The students also collaborated on the project with scientists from Montana State University and NASA.

Collecting data

Since joining ASCEND, Team President Somaralyz Grullon and Treasurer Chloe Reed have conducted multiple high-altitude balloon launches, beginning with an effort to measure atmospheric conditions during the October 2023 annular eclipse.

“I’ve been a member of ASCEND since my sophomore year, and we’ve been involved in NEBP research for the past two years, from the project proposal to launching the telescope to observe the total eclipse,” said Grullon, a senior studying mechanical engineering.

As members of the NEBP Arizona North team, students from the Embry-Riddle campus in Prescott traveled to Spafford, Texas, where they sent six payloads into the stratosphere on April 8 to collect data on the total solar eclipse.

“The NEBP project was led by two groups of teams. One group was collecting data using radiosondes, which are weather balloon-class trackers,” explained Reed, an aerospace engineering major with minors in math and computer science. “The other group was the engineering teams that we were part of. We built our payloads, which we carried in a single, heavier balloon, and sent them out to collect data that we could recover after launch.”

The payloads — codenamed Fred, Shaggy, Velma, Cotton Candy Glob, Scooby-Doo and Daphne — were designed to measure GPS, pressure, temperature, altitude and low-frequency radio signals, as well as record images and video during launch.

This amateur weather balloon launched by Embry-Riddle students carried specialized payloads into the stratosphere to collect weather data during the eclipse. (Photo: Chloe Reed)

“A large part of the data collection was aimed at showing stratospheric gravity waves propagating after the eclipse due to pressure and ionosphere changes,” Reed said. “We were able to show that there was a measurable distortion of the gravity waves due to the sudden drop and then rise in temperature caused by the eclipse shadow.”

Stratospheric gravity waves (SGWs) are a type of wave that transfers energy from the lower atmosphere to the upper atmosphere. By studying eclipses, scientists can determine how SGWs are generated and assess their impact on climate.

“This sudden change in temperature creates a pressure disturbance, and as the pressure in the atmosphere equalizes after the disturbance, a wave is created,” Reed added.

After liftoff, the balloon carrying the crew flew nearly 100 miles above the town of Vanderpool, Texas, rising to an altitude of more than 98,000 feet before bursting and falling to the surface near Center Point, Texas, more than 135 miles away.

After recovering the payload, the team assessed its contents and shared their findings with NASA, which will analyze data from all participating NEBP teams to determine how total solar eclipses affect atmospheric weather conditions.

“Our goal with this project was to prove that we could reliably see any measurable distortions with amateur payloads,” Reed said. “The measurements we recorded proved that amateur payloads are viable options for further research into gravitational waves in the atmosphere.”

A meeting of minds

In late May, NEBP invited Grullon and Reed to present their findings at the Academic High-Altitude Conference in Minnesota. Along with other participating NEBP teams, the gathering shared data and experiences from the eclipse, which focused on further developing education, research, and technology for future endeavors.

“I am extremely pleased with the team’s performance throughout the project,” Liao said. “The students designed the payload, flew the balloon, and analyzed the data—all of which required significant work and dedication. The conference was a great platform for students to share their experiences and present their results.”

The event also marked the end of Grullon’s participation in ASCEND. Grullon, a recent graduate of the Prescott Campus, accepted a position as a software engineer at Aurora Flight Sciences.

“Working on this project was a rewarding end to my student journey,” Grullon said. “The skills I developed during this collaboration directly contributed to my internship and job offer at Aurora.”

Reed is approaching her final semester at Embry-Riddle and remains actively involved in ASCEND. The feedback she has received at AHAC will contribute to the development of new materials and experiments for further ASCEND research.

“It was a great opportunity to connect with other NEBP teams and share our research,” Reed said. “We got valuable feedback and ideas for future experiments.”

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