We let go of the balloon and it ascended toward the stratosphere.  We laughed and cheered.  Then we moved quickly to pack up and prepare to recover the payload box after its 2 hour flight.

There was a pause on the other end of the phone when I called the Lowell Graded School in Lowell, VT on Thursday, November 17th.  I was calling to ask whether we could launch our weather balloon from the sports fields behind their school.  To break the silence, I said, "I bet you have never had that request before."  A chuckle from the other end of the phone was audible before I was put on hold.