Kaibeto Boarding School students participate in NAU/NASA program

Kaibeto Boarding School students pose with their payload.  The students from left to right are: Brandon Benioh, Fernando Tom, Allyssa Dayzie, Khayyam Lefthand, Shania Russell, Troy Tullie and Brianna Begay.

Kaibeto Boarding School students pose with their payload.  The students from left to right are: Brandon Benioh, Fernando Tom, Allyssa Dayzie, Khayyam Lefthand, Shania Russell, Troy Tullie and Brianna Begay.

KAIBETO-On March 31, seven Kaibeto Boarding School students participated in the Northern Arizona University/NASA Program called "Changes in Altitudes." The Arizona Space Grant Consortium & the Phoenix Mission Education/Public Outreach sponsor the balloon satellite program.

This is a program for fifth-12th grade teachers and students in support of the Phoenix Mission Education/Public Outreach efforts. The students create, construct, launch and recover small balloon payloads.

The students include a camera for photographing Earth's atmosphere and also include monitors to measure the physical properties of pressure, temperature and relative humidity within their "payload" box along with any experiment they may wish to include.

The students experience many skills in the preparation of the payload and discover new ideas about the world they live in. Many of these students have always imagined what it would be like to work in space, and this program actually gives them a hands-on experience to the world of NASA and its' exploitations. The students are chosen as to their interest in the project.

Participating Kaibeto Boarding School students were: Khayyam Lefthand, Troy Tullie, Brianna Begay, Brandon Benioh, Fernando Tom, Allyssa Dayzie and Shania Russell.

The launch took place in Chandler and the payloads were later recovered east of Signal Mountain near Coolidge. The balloon reached a height of 92,063 feet above the Arizona terrain. The students created a payload with a camera and retrieved some excellent photos of Earth from space.

The payload also included an experiment that observed the effect of altitude on DNA that had been extracted from fruit. Chewing gum was also included so the students could later enjoy some "space food."

This was the school's final participation in the Arizona Space Grant Program. The "Changes in Altitudes" Program has been a challenging and exciting time for the students who participated in this program. The Kaibeto Boarding School sponsoring teacher was Teresa Lang-Tsingine.

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