Saturday is the scheduled launch day for several balloon experiments from local high schoolers.

Students from Pella, Pella Christian and home-schooled students will be sending off three separate balloons from Madison Elementrary at 8 am to learn about how solar cells react at different altitudes, how lithium and alkaline batteries behave at different altitudes and temperatures, and taking sonar measurements to see how altitude and temperature affect sound.

The students will then test hypotheses based on their measurements. Mike Morgan, who is helping coordinate the experiments through the Pella Amatuer Radio Club says the launch is part of an effort to get students more involved with the fields of science, technology, engineering and math, commonly referred to as STEM.

Morgan has been involved with the launch of nearly 100 balloon experiments with a club in Denver. He says the launch has been made possible through support of school administration and the generosity of the Pella Community Foundation, Pella Kiwanis and the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association. A rain date has also been set for April 16th.