Wright State University engineering students launch a high altitude balloon at the Lake Campus on Tuesday afternoon. The helium-filled balloon, which could reach 20 miles in altitude, had a predicted path from the Lake Campus to a touchdown near Springfield.

  The university started projects for near-space exploration in 2003 with funding from the Ohio Space Grant Consortium. Several hundred students have participated in the projects through the years, with a group of freshmen making a project presentation at a NASA meeting in 2004.

  To learn more about the team or the path of the balloon go to www.cs.wright.edu/balloon.