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The Boonville Space Program

Sending stuff to space since 2011

The Boonvile Space Program​ began in 2011 as an after-school science program at Anderson Valley Jr./Sr. High School in Boonville, California.  Focusing on the STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), the program started with the simple goal of trying to send a craft into the stratosphere to bring back images and data from far above the surface of the earth. Now entering its 6th year, the program has successfully launched and recovered nine weather balloon payloads and has involved dozens of students in real-world applications of science and technology.

 

The Boonville​ Space Program was started by Mathematics instructor Jim Snyder in March of 2011.  After several months of conducting tests, doing experiments, drafting plans and building prototypes, the 7th and 8th grade students in the program left for summer break.  Upon returning to school in August of 2011, science instructor Jacob Bagnell joined the team and helped the group finish what it had started.  On October 29, 2011, Bagnell, Snyder and a core group of students successfully launched their first balloon into the upper atmosphere.  Upon recovering the craft and retrieving amazing video and data, the team immediately began planning their next mission.

 

Since the first mission, the Boonville Space Program has launched several more successful missions to space and has had numerous opportunities for exploration and growth.  For four consecutive years, students in the program have won awards at the Mendocino County Science Fair and several times earned a place to compete at the California State Science Fair in Los Angeles.  These students have had their project displayed under the wing of the Space Shuttle Endeavor and received a private tour of the Jet Propulsion Laboratories in Pasadena where they had the rare privilege of getting up close to the Mars Curiosity Rover's identical twin here on Earth.

 

The program is constantly evolving and students are eagerly exploring new ways to explore and understand our world.  

 

 

 

 

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