The Pella Christian Grade School 8th grade science classes, under the direction of Joanna Settles, launched an amateur radio GPS tracker on a scientific balloon on November 2, 2021 with the Pella Amateur Radio Club. The students were able to track their balloon on their computers and smart-phones as it traveled around the world in the jet stream. Their balloon flew for 130 days and traveled around the world over 9 times and reached speeds of 177 mph, and finally came down in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean last weekend. The project–also launched from Jefferson Intermediate School and other buildings in both districts, is made possible by the Pella Amateur Radio Club with funding from the Pella Community Foundation and Marion County Community Foundation.