{"id":18834,"date":"2017-08-23T18:55:12","date_gmt":"2017-08-23T10:55:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/seattles-space-sisters-get-great-views-and-learn-lessons-from-eclipse-balloon-flight\/"},"modified":"2017-08-23T18:55:12","modified_gmt":"2017-08-23T10:55:12","slug":"seattles-space-sisters-get-great-views-and-learn-lessons-from-eclipse-balloon-flight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/seattles-space-sisters-get-great-views-and-learn-lessons-from-eclipse-balloon-flight\/","title":{"rendered":"Seattle\u2019s space sisters get great views (and learn lessons) from eclipse balloon flight"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_357438\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-357438\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-357438\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-loki-1-630x395.jpg\" alt=\"Loki Lego Launcher in eclipse\" width=\"630\" height=\"395\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-loki-1-630x395.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-loki-1-768x481.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-loki-1-1260x790.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-loki-1.jpg 1434w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-357438\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The moon\u2019s shadow can be seen in the background of this picture taken by a camera on the Yeung sisters\u2019 Loki Lego Launcher. A picture of the Yeung family\u2019s late cat, Loki, and a Lego minifigure of Amelia Earhart take up the foreground. (Rebecca and Kimberly Yeung Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Not everything turned out the way pre-teen sisters Rebecca and Kimberly Yeung expected when they sent their Loki Lego Launcher balloon platform into the shadow of a solar eclipse. But that in itself was a big lesson for the stratospheric science team from Seattle.<\/p>\n<p>The Yeung family&nbsp;\u2013 including 12-year-old Rebecca and 10-year-old Kimberly as well as their parents, Winston and Jennifer Yeung&nbsp;\u2013 drove westward from the launch site in Wyoming after Monday\u2019s eclipse and were due back in Seattle late tonight.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are many lessons that we learned, and we are continuing to talk about them as we continue our long drive home (our car ride home always seems to be our mission debrief session),\u201d the girls wrote today on their blog.<\/p>\n<p>Monday\u2019s total solar eclipse was a teachable moment for the Yeungs as well as other citizen scientists participating in the Eclipse Ballooning Project.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"Inside the Loki Lego Launcher Workshop\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/gleI-VVlykk?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen=\"\" data-ratio=\"0.5625\" data-width=\"800\" data-height=\"450\" style=\"display: block; margin: 0px; width: 800px; height: 450px;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The objective was to gather observations from the stratosphere as the moon\u2019s shadow passed overhead. It was a perfect opportunity for the Yeungs and their Loki Lego Launcher, which made two previous trips to the stratosphere.<\/p>\n<p>The balloon-borne platform\u2019s name refers to the dearly departed family cat, Loki, as well as the Lego toys that go along for the ride. This time around, the sisters included a minifigure of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart.<\/p>\n<p>Each launcher mission sends the platform up to stratospheric heights, where cameras get an astronaut\u2019s-eye view of the surroundings (with the Lego toy and a picture of Loki in the foreground).<\/p>\n<p>Monday\u2019s 95-minute mission began with an ascent from Glendo, Wyo., in the path of totality, and made it up to an altitude of 96,371 feet. After the balloon popped, the platform and its payload parachuted to a landing in western Nebraska, 30 miles from the launch site.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_357497\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-357497\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-357497\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-prepare-630x354.jpg\" alt=\"Preparing for launch\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-prepare-630x354.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-prepare-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-prepare-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-prepare.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-357497\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rebecca and Kimberly Yeung gather with other members of the Eclipse Ballooning Project team to prepare for Monday\u2019s launch. (Winston Yeung Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_357498\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-357498\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-357498\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-balloon-630x1120.jpg\" alt=\"Balloon inflation\" width=\"630\" height=\"1120\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-balloon-630x1120.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-balloon-768x1365.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-balloon-709x1260.jpg 709w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-balloon.jpg 900w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-357498\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The balloon is inflated for the Loki Lego Launcher. (Winston Yeung Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_357499\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-357499\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-357499\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-shadow-630x631.jpg\" alt=\"Eclipse view\" width=\"630\" height=\"631\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-shadow-630x631.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-shadow-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-shadow-768x769.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-shadow-100x100.jpg 100w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-shadow.jpg 1063w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-357499\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A picture from the Loki Lego Launcher reveals the moon\u2019s shadow during the eclipse. (Rebecca and Kimberly Yeung Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_357502\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-357502\" style=\"width: 630px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full-width wp-image-357502\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-recovery-630x354.jpg\" alt=\"Launcher recovery\" width=\"630\" height=\"354\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-recovery-630x354.jpg 630w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-recovery-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-recovery-1260x709.jpg 1260w, https:\/\/cdn.geekwire.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/170823-recovery.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 630px) 100vw, 630px\"><figcaption data-nosnippet=\"\" id=\"caption-attachment-357502\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Rebecca and Kimberly Yeung were able to recover the Loki Lego Launcher after its landing in Nebraska, thanks to signals transmitted by the payload. (Winston Yeung Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Loki Lego Launcher 3.0 carried a solar-panel experiment as well as cameras and other experiments. The cameras worked long enough to get some spectacular views of the curving Earth with the moon\u2019s shadow in the distance.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think this is the best footage of the launches, because of the eclipse,\u201d Kimberly Yeung told GeekWire via cellphone as the family was driving across Montana.<\/p>\n<p>The telemetry shows that the cameras shut themselves down about 35 minutes after liftoff. That could be due to extremely cold temperatures, which dipped as low as minus-81 degrees Fahrenheit at high altitude.<\/p>\n<p>After recovering the payload, the girls found that a wire had slipped loose on the solar panels, dashing their hopes of finding out how the eclipse affected power generation. They also saw some strange spikes in the data for atmospheric pressure, which could be due to instrumentation issues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur overall mission results: partially successful,\u201d the Yeungs reported.<\/p>\n<p>Rebecca Yeung said one of the biggest lessons had to do with the benefits of working with a large scientific team. Even though Loki Lego Launcher 3.0 didn\u2019t fulfill all of its mission objectives, the resulting data contributed to a successful project that involved 60 teams from around the nation.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it made a really big difference,\u201d Rebecca said.<\/p>\n<p>So what\u2019s next for the Loki Lego Launcher? After making three trips to the stratosphere and back, the balloon platform is destined to become part of an exhibit at Seattle\u2019s Museum of History and Industry.<\/p>\n<p>Winston Yeung said museum officials reached out to the girls about putting the launcher on display a few months ago, and the family agreed to let them have it after this one last mission.<\/p>\n<p>Even though the Loki Lego Launcher isn\u2019t equipped to go all the way to outer space, Rebecca Yeung suggested that its inspirational spirit parallels the commercial drive to the final frontier, as exemplified by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos\u2019 Blue Origin space venture.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just like Blue Origin,\u201d she said, \u201cbecause we\u2019re reusing it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The moon\u2019s shadow can be seen in the background of this picture taken by a camera on the Yeung sisters\u2019 Loki Lego Launcher. A picture of the Yeung family\u2019s late cat, Loki, and a Lego minifigure of Amelia Earhart take up the foreground. (Rebecca and Kimberly Yeung Photo) Not everything turned out the way pre-teen [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[4671,1409,5336,5337,5338,1418,4805,5339,5340],"class_list":["post-18834","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-balloon","tag-eclipse","tag-eclipse-ballooning-project","tag-kimberly-yeung","tag-rebecca-yeung","tag-solar-eclipse","tag-stratosphere","tag-yeung","tag-yeungstuff-space-program"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18834"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18834"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18834\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18834"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18834"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18834"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}