FARMINGTON — A high-elevation weather balloon carrying slime mold and seeds was launched Thursday from a field across from the Mt. Blue Campus to collect scientific data for studies by high school biology and college engineering students.

The astrobiology-scientific balloon project is sponsored by NASA.

Rick Eason, an associate professor who teaches electrical and computer-engineering at the University of Maine, and some of his students used hydrogen to blow up the white balloon. UMaine sophomore Jasmine Despres prepared payloads that were attached to the balloon.

Tenth-grade students in Doug Hodum’s college preparation biology class at Mt. Blue High School stood in the field, some under umbrellas, helping out with the payloads or filming the launch.

Hodum’s students traditionally send up items such as bacteria, seeds and sensors in the payloads. The sensors collect ultraviolet data and temperature changes, among other information.

This time, two new items were sent up.

Slime mold was one. It will be studied when it returns to the classroom, according to high school student Adelle Richards of New Sharon.

Students also sent up a half-pack of marigold seeds and kept the other half at school, Sierra Hoes of Industry said. They will plant the seeds to see if there is a difference between them when they sprout, she said.

University students and Eason use computers to track the balloon and collect the payloads when the balloon lands. A balloon launched last year reached nearly 100,000 feet and landed in Canada.

Hodum’s biology student will then conduct experiments and check the data.

dperry@sunjournal.com