Arizona Space Grant High-Altitude Ballooning Program
NASA ASCEND at Phoenix College trains undergraduates to design, build, launch, and recover research payloads that climb above 100,000 feet. Students master avionics integration, atmospheric science, and data storytelling while collaborating with NASA mentors and university partners across Arizona.
The NASA ASCEND internship program is a high-altitude ballooning project funded by the Arizona/NASA Space Grant. It provides a unique opportunity for undergraduate STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) students to apply their skills and prepare for success in their future careers. ASCEND strives to give our STEM students opportunities to work on hands-on, real-world, NASA-related science & engineering projects in a team orientation.
Design and fly balloon-launched scientific payloads up to 100,000 ft. in elevation
Work with over 100 Arizona STEM college and university students
Apply engineering skills in real-world NASA-related projects
ASCEND teams follow NASA engineering processes—from requirements and subsystem design to flight operations and peer-reviewed reporting—preparing students for internships and aerospace careers.
Every semester our team designs, launches, and recovers scientific payloads that collect high-fidelity atmospheric data above 90,000 feet. Recent missions showcase how ASCEND students translate classroom theory into flight-ready hardware and publishable research.
Live mission collecting temperature, pressure, and humidity profiles for climate modeling above Arizona.
Multi-spectral solar radiation study using AS7331 sensors to evaluate stratospheric ozone health.
Cross-validating onboard BME688 data with NOAA radiosonde data for predictive modeling coursework.
Meet the incredible teams that have contributed to the NASA ASCEND program
Dr. Eddie Ong, Ernest Villicaña
Ryan Schmidt
Andrew Sherant, Orion Martin, Jose Javier Herrera, Ivan Gonzalez
Garret Nordmeyer, Rafael Sanchez, Elvis Garcia
Adam Fuge, Angela Trainor, Ryan Schmidt, Nathaniel Okafor, Marquis Muza
Marquis Muza, Nathaniel Okafor, Angela Trainor
Dr. Eddie Ong, Marquis Muza, Nathaniel Okafor, Ryan Schmidt
Ed Ong
Ernest Villicaña
Ivan Gonzalez, Andrew Sherant
Andrew Sherant, Javi Herrera, Jacob Brannon
Collin Montgomery, Rayan Alasow
Jazmyn Jones, Michael Bittner
Orion Martin, Lorynn Garcia
Dr. Eddie Ong, Ernest Villicaña
Andrew Sherant, Ivan Gonzalez
Jose Javier Herrera, Orion Martin
Andrew Sherant, Jacob Brannon, Rafael Sanchez
Collin Montgomery, Rayan Alasow, Adam Fuge
Orion Martin, Lorynn Garcia
Dr. Eddie Ong, Jazmyn Jones, Michael Bittner
Dr. Eddie Ong, Ernest Villicaña
Ivan Gonzalez, Andrew Sherant
Will Cohen, Jose Javier Herrera
Andrew Sherant, Jacob Brannon, Javier Chacon
Collin Montgomery, Jazmin Lopez, Rayan Alasow
Orion Martin, Javier Herrera
Dr. Eddie Ong, Jazmin Lopez, Collin Montgomery
Dr. Eddie Ong, Ernest Villicaña
Ivan Gonzalez, Andrew Sherant (asst)
Will Cohen
Andrew Sherant, Jacob Brannon, Javier Chacon
Collin Montgomery, Jazmin Lopez
Orion Martin, Javier Herrera
Dr. Eddie Ong, Jazmin Lopez, Collin Montgomery
Eunice Lopez, Ivan Martinez, Jessica Frantz, Chris Yurgel
Modesta Juarez, Neli Urzua, Brian Moreno, Jackie Salazar
Watch our latest missions and learn about the ASCEND program
Public ASCEND launch coverage featuring launch prep, ascent, and recovery.
Behind-the-scenes operations captured by the recovery crew and shared via the ASCEND Drive.
Follow ASCEND interns as they share what it’s like to design payloads and lead recoveries.
Watch Extended Cut (Drive)Join our Phoenix College Team and over 100 Arizona STEM students
Fill out the application form to join the ASCEND program
Or contact us directly:
[email protected]