DOI: 10.5061/dryad.rv15dv4jh
title: Nationwide eclipse ballooning project: Engineering data from the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipses

description: The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) is a student-centered
 STEM education and research initiative that leveraged the October 14, 2023
 annular eclipse and April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse for authentic
 learning opportunities. The NEBP consisted of 53 student-led teams,
 including 34 teams that focused on engineering research. These engineering
 student teams tested atmospheric sensing payloads, balloon float
 capabilities, and launch procedures during the annular solar eclipse,
 targeting altitudes of 60,000 ft - 80,000 ft. In addition, teams collected
 360-degree video from the stratosphere and tested streaming video from a
 balloon payload to a ground station, capturing real-time eclipse footage
 looking out at the Earth. All flight phases were led by students,
 including payload assembly, balloon fill, launch, real-time video and data
 capture, and data retrieval after the flights.
description: This dataset was compiled by Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning
 Project student teams, who collected atmospheric data and tested
 engineering designs on high altitude balloon flights. 
 Teams launched latex high altitude balloons with the flight
 line suspended underneath including a parachute, tracking systems,
 precision GPS receivers, and other atmospheric, camera, or engineering
 payloads. Some teams flew a vent and cutdown system to actively allow
 helium to escape the balloon such that the balloon achieved
 "float", where the balloon's altitude changes very little.
 The project's goal was to live-stream the eclipse between 60,000 ft -
 80,000 ft, teams with a vent system could launch earlier, then float to
 achieve their desired altitude through the eclipse and remain aloft until
 they activated the cutdown to terminate the flight, releasing the balloon
 from the flight string. Each engineering track team flew 1-2 balloons
 during the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipses. Student teams
 worked alongside faculty mentors, NASA subject matter experts (SMEs), and
 STEM professionals. The student teams participated in one of five regional
 pods where they benefited from having an engineering pod leader who
 offered technical support. Team leads and students quality controlled the
 data for publication, where they identified and corrected errors in data
 sets (i.e., verifying which sensors captured the flight, if there were any
 time gaps, and noting anomalies of flight profiles, timing, and sensor
 data).
description: Principal Investigator Contact Information: Angela Des Jardins, PhD,
 Montana State University, P.O. Box 173835, Bozeman, MT 59717,
 [Angela.desjardins@montana.edu](mailto:Angela.desjardins@montana.edu)
 **Date of data collection:** 2023-10-14 to 2023-10-15 (annular eclipse)
 and 2024-04-08 to 2024-04-09 (total eclipse) \**Geographic location of
 data collection: **[NEBP's scientific ballooning sites along path of
 annularity](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1uNrpT7f_nGu2s-iwWE7DvWtWLjrzaS8&femb=1&ll=40.53071097271006%2C-145.75750000000005&z=3) and [NEBP's scientific ballooning sites along path of totality](https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/viewer?mid=1BuGfiN64gvmXfv2A5JlMPqbE8xKkJg0&femb=1&ll=34.56078371684342%2C-94.00448455178386&z=4):  (NEBP teams with data and their corresponding filename tag: Alabama - University of Alabama Huntsville (ALUAH); Arkansas - Arkansas State University (ARARSU); Arizona - AZ North (Embry-Riddle, Glendale Community College, Phoenix College, Arizona Near Space Research) (AZERAU), AZ South (Arizona State University, University of Arizona, Casa Grande Union HS) (AZASUSOUTH); Connecticut - Hartford University and Tunis Community College (CTUHA); Delaware - University of Delaware (DEUDE), Florida - Florida International University (FLFIU); Illinois - South Side Hackerspace: Chicago (ILSSH); Georgia - Mercer University (GAMEU); Maine - University of Maine (MEUM); Maryland - University of Maryland College Park (MDUMD); Massachusetts - Olin College (MAOCE); Michigan - Eastern Michigan University (MIEUM), University of Michigan (MIUM); Minnesota - University of Minnesota Twin Cities (MNUMN); Missouri - Missouri University of Science and Technology (MOMST); Montana - Montana State University (MTMSU); Nebraska - Metropolitan Community College, University of Nebraska Omaha, and University of Nebraska Lincoln (NEMCC); New Hampshire - Hannover High School (NHHHS); Pennsylvania - Gannon University (PAGAN), Penn State University and Lincoln University (PAPSU), Drexel University and Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (PADDB); South Dakota - SD School of Mines and Technology, Lakota Tech HS, Newcastle HS, and Spearfish HS (SDSDM); Texas - University of Houston (TXHOU); Virginia - Virginia Tech (VAVT); West Virginia - West Virginia University and Trinity Christian School (WVWVU); Wyoming - Casper College and Kelly Walsh HS (WYCAC), Central Wyoming College (WYCWC)) **DATA & FILE OVERVIEW** Engineering Data Summary Worksheet with data filenames, information about the flight the payload recorded, the altitude of the payload during totality, any missing or nonsense data with associated file times, and other generalized information about the payload data such as which state it was launched in and if it flew on a balloon that vented to remain aloft around the same altitude through the eclipse. The first sheet has files sorted by quality of payload data file, the second is sorted by payload flight launch state. In the Specific Flight Details section, there is a forward slash "/" in cells where that information was not available in the data file or is irrelevant based on file quality. ``` raw payload data file trimmed to just UTC day of flight if data was recorded into next day for payload recovery - denoted as raw payload data name with "_trimmedDay"] raw payload data trimmed to the flight, from launch to landing - denoted as raw payload data name with "_trimmedFlight"] ``` Eng_Data_Information_AnnularEclipse_Oct2023.xlsx and Eng_Data_Information_TotalSolarEclipse_April2024.xlsx Raw data was cleaned and formatted to display flight profile data all in UTC if GPS unit recorded data correctly. Trimmed day files were shortened to exclude several hours of data while the payload was waiting on recovery, usually until the next day. Trimmed flight files were shortened just to the flight based on the GPS altitude first, and for PTERODACTYL, the msAlt(m) sensor recorded altitude second. Launch was determined by the first altitude where the following 50+ altitudes were all ascending, and landing was determined similarly as the last altitude where the previous altitudes were all descending. The approximate time and altitude of the payload during the eclipse was determined using an eclipse calculator (similar to this one: https://aa.usno.navy.mil/data/SolarEclipses) and the payload's latitude, longitude, and time. The location of the payload was iterated on through the calculator based on the eclipse time until the time was within a minute of the start of totality as provided by the calculator. PTERODACTYL payload data includes the following: T(h:m:s) - Time since power on, FT(h:m:s) - Flight time, T(sec) - Time since power on in seconds, T(ms) - Time since power on in milliseconds, UF(Hz) - Payload update frequency, Sats - Satellites in View, [Date, Time(UTC)] - All UTC, Lat - Latitude, Lon - Longitude, Alt(Ft) - Altitude(feet), Alt(M) - Altitude(meters), [ECEF X, ECEF Y, ECEF Z] - Earth Centered Earth Fixed XYZ Coordinates (meters), [Zone#, Easting, Northing] - UTM Zone Number, UTM East grid position (meters), UTM North grid position (meters), [GndSpd(M/S), Head(Deg), PDOP] - GPS ground speed (meters/sec), heading (degrees from North, GPS position dilution of precision * 10^-2, [intT(C), intT(F)] - Internal thermistor temperature (celcius or fahrenheit), [extT(C), extT(F)] - External thermistor temperature (celcius or fahrenheit), [msTemp(C), msTemp(F), msPress(PSI), msPress(ATM), msAlt(ft), msAlt(M), VertVel(Ft/S), VertVel(M/S)] - Measurements from the MS5611 GY-63 Atmospheric Pressure Sensor Module as internal temperature (celcius or fahrenheit), pressure (PSI or ATM), altitude (feet or meters), and vertical velocity (feet/sec or meters/sec), [mag x, mag y, mag z] - magnetometer readings (microTesla = uT), [accel x, accel y, accel z] - accelerometer readings (meters/sec^2), [gyro x, gyro y, gyro z] - gyroscope readings (degree per sec), [orien yaw, orien pitch, orien roll] - NBO-055 provided Euler angles (degrees), [xbee message, 3.6.5.1] - PTERODACTYL system keeping if transmitting between payloads on the flight string and flight code version RFD900 payload data includes the following: Packet Number, SIV (Satellites in View), GPS FixType, Latitude, Longitude, Altitude(meters), [Year, Month Day, Hour, Min, Sec] - All UTC, NNV(meters/sec) - NorthEastDown North Velocity, NEV(m/s) - NorthEastDown East Velocity, NDV(m/s) - NorthEastDown Down Velocity, [Battery, 3v3 Supply, 5v Supply, Radio Supply] - All supply voltages, AnalogInternalTemp(C), AnalogExternalTemp(C), AltimeterTemp(C), DigitalInternalTemp(C), Pressure(mbar), AccelA(meters/sec^2), AccelY(meters/sec^2), AccelZ(meters/sec^2), Pitch(degrees), Roll(degrees), Yaw(degrees)