AMS students tracking weather balloon released today

AUSTINTOWN — Students in the STEM program at Austintown Middle School are tracking a weather balloon they released this morning.

A group of students let a triangular frame, equipped with a GPS tracking device and two Go Pro cameras, go into the air from the 50-yard line at the Austintown Fitch stadium about 9:30 a.m.

Students, and AMS STEM teacher Jason Freudenberg quickly noted the balloon was going southwest. Last year, the first time the AMS STEM program did the project, the equipment was found in New Brighton, Pa., across the Ohio state line from East Palestine. The balloon was in the air for about four hours.

At a certain point, the balloon will pop and a parachute will guide the triangular frame back down to Earth.