3 Dec 2009
Student Designed Aircraft Will Capture Pictures in Space
DALLAS—Students in the science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program at Emmett J. Conrad High School will travel to Texas A&M University-Commerce Saturday, December 5 to launch aircraft into the earth's atmosphere in an effort to study the curvature of the earth. The project, Starship Conrad, involves more than 40 students divided into four teams.
Four aircraft, designed by the students, will be attached to high altitude weather balloons and released to travel approximately 17 miles into the stratosphere. Each aircraft, made from a Styrofoam ice cooler, has a digital camera mounted into it along with a cell phone that has a GPS device.
Conrad students will work with Texas A&M industrial engineering faculty and students to launch, track and retrieve their craft.
Participants will meet in the parking lot behind the science building at Texas A&M at 9 a.m. to travel to the launch site which will be determined that morning based on weather conditions.
"Dallas ISD students are showing improvement on college readiness indicators… and (the district) has shown improvement on Broad Prize indicators. Among the comparison Texas urban districts, only Houston ISD slightly outperforms Dallas ISD."