Class room at the edge of the universe
A stratosphere flight offers your students a unique learning platform to acquire expertise in various science disciplines beyond the STEM-related subjects. Your students will learn enthusiastically while working in groups on the successful implementation of this space mission.
The table below shows examples for every STEM subject, which a flight to the stratosphere could cover.
| Topics | Suggestions for school lessons | |
| Mathematics | Solve equations Graphs and functions Quadratic equations Root expressions |
Calculating buoyancy and needed amount of helium Evaluation of the flight route and measurement data |
| Physics Mechanics |
Archimedean principle Force Temperature and heat transfer Gravity Electricity Soldering |
Calculating the acceleration of the mass How a parachute works How a video camera works Calculating the speed of sound Soldering the power supply for cameras Constructing the Polystyrene probe |
| Electronics Computer Science/Informatics |
Programming Recording and evaluation of measurement data |
Programming a Datalogger or Plug and Play solution: reading and understanding the technical data sheet of a Datalogger, recording measurement data, and evaluating the flight |
| Chemistry | Substance properties Helium Organic chemistry |
Why does helium generate buoyancy? Influence of strong temperature changes (shown by own experiments of students) Extreme pressure changes Freezing point as a function of air pressure |
| English / Writing | Marketing & PR Writing in a technical manner Academic texts |
Project description Sponsor acquisition Writing press releases Editorial support for the school homepage Scientific research Technical data sheets |
| Scientific methods | Will be necessary for all experiments | Phrasing questions Prediction, test execution, analysis |
| Biology | Ecosystem Extremophile |
Life on Mars or other planets Organisms in the stratosphere Tardigrades in space, life under extreme conditions |
| Earth & Space | The Universe Jet streams Solar system Atmosphere Weather: clouds, precipitation, wind, high pressure and low-pressure areas Climate diagrams Environmental pollution Ozone layer, ozone hole Greenhouse effect |
Cosmic radiation Layers of the atmosphere The earth from above Identification of cloud types Pollution of the atmosphere Weather forecast and pre-calculation of flight route Ozone layer as UV protective shield Depletion of the ozone layer by CFCs, ozone hole Differentiation between the greenhouse effect and the ozone hole |
| Law | Read legal texts | Legal situation for Weather Balloons |
| Communication, methodological competence | Communication Understanding technical literature Recognising and correcting mistakes Project management Presentation Creativity |
Teamwork Drawing conclusions Learning from mistakes Presenting complex issues in an understandable way and in your own words |
| Media | Video editing Photography |
Filming support of the project Editing of videos Creation of a photo story |
