Oct. 10, 2006 -- The Arkansas Balloon Satellite Program will have its first launch of a high altitude balloon on Saturday, Oct. 21, at 8 a.m., from a site to be determined by the prevailing atmospheric conditions. The launch was delayed one week from the original schedule because of the jet stream.

The program is funded by the Arkansas Space Grant Consortium.

The Arkansas Balloon Satellite Program is a joint effort between four Arkansas schools and two Arkansas universities: Cross County High School, Little Rock Catholic High School, Annie Camp Junior High School and Pottsville High School, along with Arkansas State University and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Those involved in the program include five Arkansas high school science teachers, Ed Roberts, Teresa Fuller, Melinda Cobb, Jim Edge, and Chuck Ashburn; two ASU faculty members, Dr. Martin Huss and Dr. Tillman Kennon; and two ASU secondary science education students, Jackie McVey and Carolyn Redman.

According to Kennon, the primary launch site is the Arkansas State University-Newport campus while the secondary launch site is the Cross County High School campus in Cherry Valley. The site will not be decided until Friday, after the jet stream and weather data is determined as well as the direction and distance the balloon will travel.

"The purpose of this first flight is to test tracking equipment that will allow recovery of the payload and to collect data, such as temperature and relative humidity during the flight," Kennon said. Onboard cameras will take photographs throughout the flight.

This balloon and its payload will travel to an elevation of approximately 90,000 feet above the Earth and can travel a distance of 50 miles from the launch site.

He added that plans call for expanding this program to include additional Arkansas science teachers and their students. These teachers, their students, ASU students, and faculty will develop research projects, design needed equipment, and deploy this equipment on future launches.