Investigation of the Stratospheric Ascent Profile of a High-Altitude Balloon During the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse

This is an accepted article with a DOI pre-assigned that is not yet published.Significant changes in the temperature and ascent profile were obtained by two high-altitude balloons (HAB) launched on April 8th 2024 at 17:15 UTC and at 18:05 UTC ahead of the total solar eclipse in the path of totality. This paper will investigate temperature and ascent profile differences between flights launched by St. Catherine University’s all women's HAB team. Research conducted by the 2017 team showed that a total solar eclipse generates a thermal wake that is unique to the path of totality. Data was acquired on April 8th 2024 utilizing a Stratostar™ satellite system, supporting this distinctive thermal profile. The analysis of the ascent profile reveals unexpected differences prior, during, and after totality. The exploration of this data transpired due to the flight paths subverting the expectations of experienced researchers and flight prediction software.