Science students from Mr. Michael Reynolds class at Carson High School had an elevating opportunity to go Up Up and Away … well, err … tethered above Carson City, Tuesday morning, April 23.
Karalyn Mumm, owner and commercial pilot of the balloon “Citrus in the Sky,” provided tethered hot air balloon rides on the front lawn at the high school.
Mr. Reynolds, CHS science teacher and military veteran, said each student had been studying not only the science necessary for flight including the outside air temperature, weight, buoyancy and the temperature inside the balloon, but also other factors including weather, wind shear and gases. The outdoor aerial demonstration served as the lab portion of the course work.
The world’s first untethered hot-air balloon ride occurred nearly two and a half centuries ago November 21, 1783. The intrepid voyagers included two Frenchmen, Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier, a chemistry and physics teacher, and the Marquis d’Arlandes, a military officer. They flew nearly six miles, from the center of Paris to the suburbs, in 25 minutes.