Civil Air Patrol's 399th Composite Squadron announces weather balloon launch

DANBURY, Conn. - Oct. 5, 2016 - PRLog -- Cadets from the 399th Composite Squadron, located in Danbury, Connecticut, are scheduled to launch a weather balloon on Saturday, October 8, 2016. The project follows the successful weather balloon launch and data gathering mission the squadron conducted in September 2014.

The first weather balloon project conducted by cadets launched in 2014 from New Fairfield High School, Connecticut, soared to an approximate height of 91,000 feet, and was retrieve in Northborough Massachusetts. The squadron plans to have the current weather balloon reach an altitude of 100,000 feet and attempt to retrieve the package a little closer to home.

A definitive launch site has not been determined to date since weather conditions closer to launch time have to be taken in to consideration. Launch site and time will be announced by Friday, October 7 on the squadron Facebook page. Visit http://www.facebook.com/399thCompositeSquadron. Members of the public are welcome to attend. For additional information about the launch or Civil Air Patrol email pao@399cap.org.

Civil Air Patrol, the longtime all-volunteer U.S. Air Force auxiliary, is the newest member of the Air Force's Total Force, which consists of regular Air Force, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve, along with Air Force retired military and civilian employees. CAP, in its Total Force role, operates a fleet of 550 aircraft and performs about 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and is credited by the AFRCC with saving an average of 78 lives annually. Civil Air Patrol's 56,000 members nationwide also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. Its members additionally play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to more than 24,000 young people currently participating in the CAP cadet program. Performing missions for America for the past 75 years, CAP received the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 in honor of the heroic efforts of its World War II veterans. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.

To learn more about the 399th Composite Squadron visit http://www.facebook.com/399thCompositeSquadron