It was 7am on Friday, October 30th.

It was super cold (at least for me, it was!) at the soccer fields in Cal State Fullerton, and the ROTC students were already warming up.

I met with Nick Siemsen and his girlfriend, Vanessa, who began putting together their weather balloon project.  Nick set his camera timer and cell phone GPS, and placed all components into a styrofoam box, while Vanessa filled the balloon with helium.  After connecting the balloon to the box, we all got excited for the moment of lift off!  Everything was set.

Nick released the balloon from his hands.  Then…

Nothing happened.  Unfortunately, the balloon didn’t have enough helium.  So, Nick and Vanessa made a quick stop at a helium store off of Orangethorpe and Raymond Ave.  About half an hour later, we were all back at the soccer fields.  They filled the balloon to double the size of what it had been earlier that morning.  And fortunately, it took off just as Nick had predicted.

We all watched for a couple of minutes until we could barely see it.  It seemed to be heading southeast, which is good news for O.C.!  If Nick’s projections are correct, it should be landing sometime after 1:00pm today.  Let us know if you think you see it in your area!

And if you find it, make sure to call Nick and Vanessa at (909) 538-6868 or (909) 861-0058, and they’ll give you some money as a reward.

Check back later as I’ll keep you updated with this project.

For the story behind this project, read Weather Balloon, Ready for Lift Off!