Local High School Students unveil Eastern Range Weather-Bot

Staff Sgt. Matthew Mong, 45th Weather Squadron NCO in charge training, demonstrates how to use, Pink, a Weather-Bot robot used to help members of the 45th WS release weather balloons without risking human life during lighting, Jan. 27, 2015, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Many Brevard County students teamed-up with CCAFS and NASA to help better determine weather conditions during rocket launches. (U.S. Air Force photo/Matthew Jurgens) (Released)

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Local High School Students unveil Eastern Range Weather-Bot

Thomas Taylor, 45th Weather Squadron chief of standardization and evaluation, and Staff Sgt. Matthew Mong, 45th WS NCO in charge training, demonstrates how to use, Pink, a Weather-Bot robot used to help members of the 45th WS release weather balloons without risking human life during lighting, Jan. 27, 2015, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Many Brevard County students teamed-up with CCAFS and NASA to help better determine weather conditions during rocket launches. (U.S. Air Force photo/Matthew Jurgens) (Released)

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Brig. Gen. Nina Armagno, commander, 45th Space Wing, front row center, happily poses with members of the PINK Team, a high school robotics team that unveiled the Eastern Range Weather-bot Tuesday morning at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station. Team members are (left to right) Nick McAleenan, Wyatt Vining, Stephanie Dawson and Jordan Geon. In back row, (far left), is NASA engineer and team mentor Andy Bradley, and (second from left) is Marian Passmore, the teacher-sponsor for the project. Also pictured are Airmen assigned with the 45th Space Wing, to include Col.Thomas Falzarano, commander, 45th Operations Group, far right. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Chris Calkins)

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Local High School Students unveil Eastern Range Weather-Bot

Pink, a Weather-Bot robot is used to help members of the 45th WS release weather balloons without risking human life during lighting, Jan. 27, 2015, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Many Brevard County students teamed-up with CCAFS and NASA to help better determine weather conditions during rocket launches. (U.S. Air Force photo/Matthew Jurgens) (Released)

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Weather Bot

Brig. Gen. Nina Armagno, 45th Space Wing commander, is interviewed by News 13 Brevard County Reporter Greg Pallone about the unveiling of the Weather-Bot. The Weather-Bot is a robot used to help members of the 45th Weather Squadron release weather balloons without risking human life when lightning is too close. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Matthew Jurgens)

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Local High School Students unveil Eastern Range Weather-Bot

Staff Sgt. Matthew Mong, 45th Weather Squadron NCO in charge training, demonstrates how to use, Pink, a Weather-Bot robot used to help members of the 45th WS release weather balloons without risking human life during lighting, Jan. 27, 2015, at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. Many Brevard County students teamed-up with CCAFS and NASA to help better determine weather conditions during rocket launches. (U.S. Air Force photo/Matthew Jurgens) (Released)

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Local media members interview Brig. Gen. Nina Armagno, commander, 45th Space Wing, about the weather-bot Jan. 27 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla. The robot helps members of the 45th Weather Squadron release weather balloons without risking human life when lightning is too close. (U.S. Air Force Photo/Chris Calkins)

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Local High School Students unveil Eastern Range Weather-Bot

Published Jan. 29, 2015
By 45th Space Wing
Public Affairs

CAPE CANAVERAL AIR FORCE STATION, Fla. -- "PINK Team," a robotics team of students from Rockledge, Cocoa Beach, Viera and Space Coast high schools, demonstrate a robot designed to release weather balloons.

The robot helps members of the 45th Weather Squadron release weather balloons without risking human life when lightning is too close.

Central Florida, including Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and the Eastern Range, is often referred to as the lightning capital of North America, with nearly all of the lightning occurring within a three months period from June to September. During this period, releasing weather balloons was a problem for the squadron until the PINK Team stepped in and worked to solve the problem.

After visiting the balloon facility and interviewing the people who release and process the balloon data, the students and mentors had a good idea of what was needed, and developed the weather-bot, a bright pink robot to help complete the task.

Local High School Students unveil Eastern Range Weather-Bot

Local High School Students unveil Eastern Range Weather-Bot

Local High School Students unveil Eastern Range Weather-Bot

Weather Bot

Local High School Students unveil Eastern Range Weather-Bot