NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Giant balloons are popping up in the news these days as mysterious objects float across portions of the United States and Canada. Meanwhile, large balloons are drifting across parts of eastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota as well, though these balloons weren’t launched from a shadowy location or with a murky purpose. Instead, they rose from a parking lot next to UND’s Clifford Hall — and with the purpose of gathering data for NASA.