High Altitude Ballooning
July 17 - 22, 2022

Join other campers for a fun week of science, technology, and exploration as you build and fly your own balloons, drones, and experiments!

Although it is difficult to reach deep into outer space, near space is within your grasp. With a high-altitude balloon filled with helium, altitudes up to 120,000 feet into the stratosphere can be explored even by amateurs and students. And what goes up must come down, so when the balloon bursts, payloads can be retrieved further study.

High altitude ballooning camp at Gustavus is educational, inspirational, and fun! Students will learn from experienced Gustavus professors and hands-on experiences. They will design and conduct their own experiments on an actual near-space flight. And they will experience the sheer awe of building and launching their own private spacecraft.

Students who attend this camp will gain valuable hands-on experience with electronics, programming, sensors, cameras, building and securing payloads, planning flights, and flying balloons. Science topics relating to our atmosphere, cosmic radiation, and more will be also explored.

Students will construct and test their own quadcopter drones and learn about drone topics like control, programming and flight!

Any high school student for fall 2021 is eligible to attend. Thanks to Kato Engineering, scholarships are available on a limited basis. Contact Chuck Niederriter.

Gustavus Adolphus College's week-long High Altitude Balloon Camp in a short video. Produced by Ethan Johnson.

See what a balloon ride might be like!