SPACE BALLOON 2019 APOLLO 11 COMMEMORATIVE

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V22 2019 INDEX E-SYLUM ARCHIVE

The E-Sylum: Volume 22, Number 26, June 30, 2019, Article 17

I thought readers might be interested in supporting the work of the kids at Earth to Sky Calculus and checking out this 2019 Apollo 11 50th Anniversary commemorative that has been flown at the edge of space on one of their cosmic ray helium balloons.

Cool - why not? It looks like a fun and educational organization that a lot of us wish we'd had growing up. Here's some information from their web site. -Editor

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 Moon landing, the United States Mint has created a commemorative 2019 Proof Silver Dollar. We decided to celebrate even more by flying the coins to the edge of space. On June 23rd, the students of Earth to Sky Calculus launched this 99.9% silver dollar 102,034 feet above Earth's surface.

The silver dollar is curved and reproduces the helmet of astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Reflected in Buzz's visor are Neil Armstrong, the United States flag, and the lunar lander. The opposite side of the coin shows Neil's first footprint on the Moon.

Each coin comes with US Mint certificate of authenticity and a greeting card showing the silver dollar in flight.

For more information, or to order, see:
Apollo 11 Proof 99.9% Silver Dollar (https://www.earthtosky.store/product-page/apollo-11-99-9-silver-dollar)

What is Earth to Sky Calculus?
Earth to Sky Calculus is group of youths doing cutting-edge science in a little-explored realm 100,000 feet above our heads: the stratosphere. Several times a month, they send their experiments aloft using helium balloons to search for new life forms in the stratosphere and to monitor the effects of cosmic radiation on Earth's atmosphere. Their efforts are 100% crowdfunded. Small business, non-profits, and small businesses "own" this research and are responsible for its advance.

Our History

The club was formed in 2010. It grew out of a Calculus and Quantum Physics class that Dr. Tony Phillips had been teaching to his daughter and classmates since 5th grade. By the time these students entered high school in 2010, they were tired of being lectured to and wanted to explore Nature in a different, more hands-on way.

So they began launching helium balloons. At first no one in the group, not even Dr. Phillips, knew how to do this. They taught themselves through trial and error, flying increasingly larger balloons high into the stratosphere over the remote Sierra Nevada mountains in California where they live. Rookie mistakes and the "freedom to fail" led to the best kind of unscripted experiential learning: the kind that cannot be found in textbooks.

Fast forward to 2018: The group has launched more than 250 research-grade balloons, and the students of Earth to Sky Calculus are widely recognized as leading experts in this type of exploration. Even NASA has visited the group's launch site near Bishop, California to observe and learn from their procedures. Recent graduates of Earth to Sky have been accepted at Princeton, Berkeley, Stanford, Dartmouth, the Maritime Academy, UC Irvine, Babson College, Kings College (London) and other top-notch schools. Their college success is particularly remarkable considering the tiny size and remote location of their home town.

For more information about the group, see:
ABOUT US (https://www.earthtosky.store/about)