Launching MicroBit to Space! Kvinesdal Kodeklubb With Exciting High Altitude Balloon Launch
How do I get kids excited about programmering?
By launching their coding projects to the edge of space! Almost ten years ago I and my students were among the first in Norway to launch a weather balloon to over 30 km in the stratosphere. Since that launch I have been launching balloons almost every year with students-and the results have been fantastic. We have launched a total of six payloads to over 25 km in the stratosphere, each launch requires special permission from agencies such as NLT (Norsk Lufttilsynet) and over a year of planning. Soon we with Kvinesdal Kodeklubb will seek permission to launch our most exciting project.
The project is called SPACE EGGS. 
It is a project in collaboration with area schools and students. The idea is that students are to design an experiment using microbit (for example designing a temperature sensor). The experiment is to be lightweight, and will be placed in a foam payload. The m
icrobit will fit in a 3d printed egg structure, created by the students.
Teachers will receive detailed instructions from our koding club, with pre-flight and post-flight activities planned in the coming year.
This is an exciting project where teachers and students will have to think Out Of The Box.
The project will be entered into the Global Space Balloon Challenge event, held in April, 2020.
Hundreds of balloon teams from all around the world compete in sending their projects to space. Their website is here https://www.balloonchallenge.org/
The microbit will be placed in a soft foam shell.
There will be room for several Space Eggs, each weighing no more than 20-30 grams. The payload is attached to a ring structure with a video camera and gps software. The balloon parachute, 600 gram balloon, and radar reflector are attached to a nylon cord stretching over five meters in length.
If all the necessary permissions are received, and we reach our goals, the launch is set for the third week in April, 2020.
We will follow up with news as we approach launch date, and share a presentation made by students and myself about our previous launches to space.
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