Share Article

A Nexus S cell phone captures an image of the Union Mine high school football field as the balloon starts it's journey into space. Photo courtesy Thomas Nourse.

Union Mine high school, lower right, along with a lot of El Dorado county is visable in this photo. Photo courtesy of Thomas Nourse.

THE PICTURES generated from the weather balloons reach altitudes of more than 90,000 feet, with the curvature of the Earth seen along with a thin blue strip of atmosphere and the blackness of space. Photo courtesy Thomas Nourse

NASA employee Mark Micire of Santa Cruz makes final adjustments to the instrument package prior to liftoff. Democrat photo by Pat Dollins

GOOGLE'S Matt Dunlap, left, of Mountain View fills a weather balloon with helium in preparation for its flight into the upper atmosphere Saturday at Union Mine High School in El Dorado. Democrat photo by Pat Dollins

A GROUP of Google and NASA employees prepares a weather balloon for flight on a baseball field at Union Mine High School Saturday. Democrat photo by Pat Dollins