Nationwide eclipse ballooning project: Engineering data from the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipses

The Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project (NEBP) is a student-centered STEM education and research initiative that leveraged the October 14, 2023 annular eclipse and April 8, 2024 total solar eclipse for authentic learning opportunities. The NEBP consisted of 53 student-led teams, including 34 teams that focused on engineering research. These engineering student teams tested atmospheric sensing payloads, balloon float capabilities, and launch procedures during the annular solar eclipse, targeting altitudes of 60,000 ft - 80,000 ft. In addition, teams collected 360-degree video from the stratosphere and tested streaming video from a balloon payload to a ground station, capturing real-time eclipse footage looking out at the Earth. All flight phases were led by students, including payload assembly, balloon fill, launch, real-time video and data capture, and data retrieval after the flights.

Methods
This dataset was compiled by Nationwide Eclipse Ballooning Project student teams, who collected atmospheric data and tested engineering designs on high altitude balloon flights. 
Teams launched latex high altitude balloons with the flight line suspended underneath including a parachute, tracking systems, precision GPS receivers, and other atmospheric, camera, or engineering payloads. Some teams flew a vent and cutdown system to actively allow helium to escape the balloon such that the balloon achieved "float", where the balloon's altitude changes very little. The project's goal was to live-stream the eclipse between 60,000 ft - 80,000 ft, teams with a vent system could launch earlier, then float to achieve their desired altitude through the eclipse and remain aloft until they activated the cutdown to terminate the flight, releasing the balloon from the flight string. Each engineering track team flew 1-2 balloons during the 2023 annular and 2024 total solar eclipses. Student teams worked alongside faculty mentors, NASA subject matter experts (SMEs), and STEM professionals. The student teams participated in one of five regional pods where they benefited from having an engineering pod leader who offered technical support. Team leads and students quality controlled the data for publication, where they identified and corrected errors in data sets (i.e., verifying which sensors captured the flight, if there were any time gaps, and noting anomalies of flight profiles, timing, and sensor data).