Have You Seen This Rogue Weather Balloon?

Earlier this week, a group of middle schoolers at a summer science camp in upstate New York pumped a weather balloon with 300 cubic feet of helium and launched it high up into the stratosphere to gather photos of the Earth's curvature.

The team believed the balloon would land somewhere around Allentown, PA, and began following the predicted trajectory of the flying object. However, when it came time for the balloon to land, the GPS tracker wasn't emitting a signal, and the team couldn't find it. Now they need your help finding it.

Here's what Chris Rovente, one of the teachers involved with the project, had to say:


Since the projections indicated that our capsule would land in the Wyoming and Lehigh Valley areas we are asking for assistance in its retrieval. The capsule is a small Styrofoam pharmaceutical cooler. The capsule is sealed with bright orange duct tape and attached to an orange parachute along with a sign containing contact information. If you happen to find this capsule please contact Sandy Stiles at stiless@oacsd.org.

If you live around Allentown and have a tendency to muck about in the woods, maybe you'll go on a search expedition? You wouldn't want to ruin a bunch of kids's summer, would you?