A half-dozen lightweight solar-powered pico balloons are being launched in West Virginia, carrying small transmitters to provide location and telemetry for tracking in WSPR mode on 20 meters. For the six student teams and their teacher, however, the classroom-designed and -built balloons are carrying so much more.

Their ascent skyward bears the accomplishments of the newly licensed young hams and their teacher, Adam Osbourne, KF8HLQ, supported by coaching, FCC license testing and technical assistance from Bob Gibson W8RLG and other members of West Virginia Amateur Radio Club, WV8AR.

The club also provided a rig and 20-meter dipole. The balloons will be tracked using WSJTX running on a laptop.

Adam told Newsline that the project is part of the school's four-course aerospace engineering program. Flight operations, power systems, communications systems, testing and verification are also part of the exercise -- but so is amateur radio.

The balloons are also carrying students and their teacher toward more active ham radio involvement. Adam told Newsline he plans to make use of his General class license and hopes the school will become a great home for a student amateur radio club. Students have built a relationship with the hams in the West Virginia club and now understand that ham radio includes public service and emergency communications too.

Meanwhile, they cross their fingers, hoping that at least one balloon may actually circle the globe. They have already seen that even as ham radio helped them take to the sky, it also does much more to help everyone on the planet below.