School children fire 'Sam the dog' into space

Big missions always start from little steps. They only need attention from the right people.

Some school children in England have sent a toy dog 25 kilometers into space. Sam the cuddly toy dog was attached to a special camera sent up to the sky, using a helium balloon.

The little astronaut reached the second major layer of Earth’s atmosphere, known as stratosphere. The children from Morecambe Bay Primary School did this as part of their science project.

Meanwhile, an award is offered by English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues for who can find 'Sam the dog' and return it to the school children

“Sam’s flight went beautifully, taking him to the edge of space and well past the Armstrong limit of 19 kilometers above the earth,” Ben Berry, from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues, said.

“Space travel is a risky business and Sam’s freefall didn’t quite go as planned.  We are offering a reward for his safe return. 

The person who finds Sam will be treated to a complimentary stay at the iconic art deco 4 star Midland Hotel.”

The GPS  tracking equipment and special cameras quickly found the payload when Sam returned to earth near Burnley but the toy couldn't be seen in the vicinity, Chris Rose, from Sheffield based SentIntoSpace.com, said

“Our footage indicates that one of the helium balloon tethers got tangled with the mascot when it burst at peak altitude and the freefall part of the flight commenced. 

We do not have any data on the aerodynamics of a toy dog or its terminal velocity, but we’re pretty sure Sam landed within a 40-50 mile radius of Burnley. 

He could have landed in North Lancashire or as far afield as York, Sheffield, or the Peak District.”

Teacher, Siobhan Collingwood said the orbital launch was the culmination of a two week long space initiative for the children.

'The UK Space Agency also provided us with a real life space suit for the children to learn about space survival.

"We will also be using the data and the images recorded from Sam the Dog's flight as teaching materials. It all contributes to the learning experience for the students and provides a sense of visual achievement."