Ballooning Takes Education Around The World

Exciting activities for all ages who follow the Team RE/MAX global balloon mission.

by Joe Nigg

Young people from kindergarten through grade 12 may have a pleasant and exciting surprise this school year when their teachers use a new site on the Internet as part of the teaching curriculum. Located at www.remax.com (click balloon, then education icons) this special K-12 on-line education program (in English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) was commissioned by global real estate franchiser, RE/MAX International, Inc. and designed by the Colorado State University Center for Science, Mathematics and Technology Education. It is tied to a scheduled attempt by RE/MAX founder, Dave Liniger and two other pilots, Australian balloonist, John Wallington and Albuquerque television science reporter, Bob Martin to circumnavigate the world by balloon, in the stratosphere. The adventure has been dubbed the Team RE/MAX global balloon mission and is scheduled for launch from Alice Springs, Australia in late December. When announced in May of this year, Dave Liniger proclaimed education as one of the major goals of the mission.

"Teachers will find this interesting, exciting and very educational," Dr. Joe Nigg, RE/MAX executive editor and curriculum director told Balloon Life. "You can actually share this around-the-world-by-balloon adventure in the classroom. There are more than 30 activities in the comprehensive Team RE/MAX Educational Curriculum, designed by classroom teachers, according to national standards."

The curriculum package encompasses major subject areas related to the Team RE/MAX global balloon mission: human adaptation, aeronautics, geography and meteorology. Mathematics and language arts are, of course, an integral part of the program as well. Activity worksheets can be printed from the site for classroom use and tips on how to use the site in the classroom are also available.

"The lesson plans will excite the imaginations and broaden the knowledge of students at all grade levels," concluded Nigg, himself a former professor of literature and writing. "Courtney Butler and Mike Viney of CSMATE did a marvelous job leading the brainstorm sessions with nine kindergarten through 12th grade teachers. Three CSU professors reviewed the meteorology, history and geography content for accuracy, and our own Tracey Powell generated the dynamic graphics. Finally, RE/MAX webmaster, Angel Prouty put the final package together for the world to see. This is a very special web site with unique educational opportunities and once Team RE/MAX launches in December, we anticipate up to five million hits per day."

The Team RE/MAX global balloon mission is not the first balloon adventure to attempt to circumnavigate the world, but is exclusive in its methodutilizing a NASA-type, radiation controlled (RACCOON) helium balloon, carrying a pressurized 6,000 pound cylindrical gondola, and the three co-pilots, 130,000 feet into the stratosphere. Often called, the "Last Great Adventure in Aviation," this mission is expected to take 16 to 18 days.

Teachers interested in more details should contact Nigg at (303) 770-5531, or send e-mail via the site webmaster.