When I was in school, a science experiment consisted of putting some vinegar and baking soda into a plastic pop bottle. I think I got gypped. Just look at what two Canadian teenagers, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad did in their spare time. The young duo is making news for taking pictures of a Lego Man in space.
Yes, really, they sent a camera attached to the figure up as high as 80,000 feet to capture some fantastic photos. The journey lasted just 97 minutes, with the Lego Man landing 122 km away. The footage they captured is truly amazing.
How much does it cost to send a tiny Lego Man into space? Only about $400 and 12 Saturdays of your time. The two 17 year olds undertook this project “just for fun.” Imagine what they could do “just for a science fair”! How did they get all these great photos? Ho built a super-light carry case out of styrofoam for the three cameras and one video camera. The point and shoot cameras were programmed to shoot every 20 seconds, resulting in 1500 photos. The $85 weather balloon was powered with $160 of helium.
Image Credits: [Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad via The Star]
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