Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project August 12, 2026 Total Solar Eclipse Iceland

The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) was awarded a project by NASA to take five Atmospheric Science and Engineering teams to Iceland and Spain for the August 12, 2026 total solar eclipse. Due to the terrain, NEBP plans to send the two Atmospheric Science teams to Iceland and the three Engineering teams to Spain. University of Kentucky was one of the selected Atmospheric Science teams, under the leadership of team mentor Sean Bailey. The overall effort is led by PI Dr. Angela Des Jardins at Montana State University and NASA will provide some logistical support for lodging, helium, and mission planning. Statement of Work The University of Kentucky team anticipates starting work on the project in March 2026 and concluding in October 2026. As an Atmospheric Science team, we will examine tropopause and planetary boundary layer changes due to the cold, dark shadow of the eclipse. Understanding these changes helps us better understand the atmosphere in general. Data will be collected by Graw radiosondes flown on 30 small balloon flights for each team. Flights will start 24 hours before the eclipse and continue every half an hour until six hours after the eclipse. Our team is expected to consist of the mentor, support staff, and undergraduate students. While the mentor will advise students on campaign planning and payload deployment, the project will be led and conducted by university students, supported by staff. To ensure a successful eclipse campaign, we will complete the following milestones. - Along with the other teams and subject matter experts (SMEs), design the eclipse campaign to address our science goals. - Conduct at least six test flights. - Travel to Iceland and carry out the eclipse campaign. - Analyze the collected data. - Also, alongside the other teams and SMEs, start writing scientific publications.