High-Altitude Balloon Launches

A real mission to the edge of space

Inspire students through a hands-on mission of curiosity, exploration, and discovery.

Photographs from student high-altitude balloon missions, including launch day, the classroom, and views from the payload.

Plan a Mission See How It Works
100,000 ftaltitude
−60°Fedge of space
Livemission telemetry

What is Above the Bell?

A real balloon mission. A complete learning experience.

We partner with school administrators, educators, and local organizations to bring hands-on science to life through a customized high-altitude balloon mission to the edge of space.

We provide the curriculum, equipment, and launch logistics from planning through recovery, so your students can design experiments, follow the flight, and explore what comes back.

Your Mission Plan

  1. 1

    Learn

    Guided by Wrigley, Mission Control Captain, students build a foundation in weather, sensors, and space science.

  2. 2

    Plan

    Teams choose roles, design experiments, pick a launch day, and run prediction contests for the landing zone.

  3. 3

    Build

    With the kit on-site, teams choose payload items and sensors, pack their experiments, and prepare for pickup.

  4. 4

    Launch

    On launch day, Above the Bell handles logistics while the class follows live telemetry to the stratosphere.

  5. 5

    Discover

    Students analyze photos, video, and sensor data to see what their mission revealed from the edge of space.

Learn More How It Works

Your Mission Guide

Meet Wrigley, Mission Control Captain

Wrigley, the Above the Bell mission owl, flying with his aviator goggles on

Wrigley guides students through every Mission Briefing, from the first lesson to the final debrief. He keeps the science friendly, the checklists fun, and the countdown on schedule.

  • Grades 3–5with depth options by grade
  • 4–8 weekspaced to your schedule
  • Everything includedcurriculum, payload, launch
  • Customizableto fit your group

Mission Control

Where every stage of the mission comes together

Mission Control is the digital home for the mission. Students and teachers plan, prepare experiments, follow the live flight, and explore the results, with Wrigley guiding the way from first idea to final discovery.

Above the Bell Mission Control dashboard shown on a Chromebook
  • Plan the mission and prepare for launch
  • Create predictions and document experiments
  • Follow live telemetry, maps, and mission events
  • Compare predictions with real flight results

Built for Schools

A turnkey STEM adventure for your school

Stacks of Above the Bell student mission kit boxes, one per student, with one box open showing the mission briefings workbook, mission notebook with activity pages, an embroidered mission patch, and a mission certificate

Mission Curriculum

Ten standards-aligned mission briefings that build to launch day, in print or digital.

Everything Included

Student materials, the flight payload, live Mission Control, patches, and certificates.

Flight Operations

A certified pilot manages the safe, FAA-coordinated flight from launch through recovery.

Funding Support

Pricing scales with your student group, plus grant and sponsorship help along the way.
Learn More For Schools

Next Steps

Learn more about the program

Mission Routing 2 destinations available
01

How It Works

See the mission

Walk through all five phases, from classroom lessons to launch day and the data that comes home.

  • 5 phases
  • 4–8 weeks
  • Live tracking
Walk through the phases
02

For Schools

Bring it to your school

Curriculum, what’s included, funding help, and safety. Everything you need to know.

  • 10 modules
  • Funding help
  • Safety & FAA
See what’s included

Ready to explore a mission?

Tell us about your school or group, and we’ll help you map the path forward.

Contact Us Download Program Overview (PDF)
Contact Us