Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space

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Fargo
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PostCanadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Fargo » Thu Jan 26, 2012 6:38 pm




Two Canadian teenagers have sent a Lego man into the outer reaches of the Earth's atmosphere using a home-stitched parachute and equipment found on Craigslist.

Two weeks ago, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, both 17, attached the plastic figurine replete with maple leaf flag to a helium balloon, which they sent 80,000 feet into the air.

The pair managed to capture the entire journey into the blackness of space, including the descent, which lasted 97 minutes, using four cameras, at an entire cost of just £254.

Spending four months of Saturdays on the project, the teenagers launched the professionally made weather balloon from a football pitch. It then soared to more than double the height of a commercial jet's cruising altitude – some 24km into the upper atmosphere from where the Earth's curvature can be seen.

Having attached a GPS receiver to the styrofoam box carrying the cameras and Lego-naut, the two managed to recover the bundle attached to a hand-stitched parachute from a field 122km from the launch site.

According to the Toronto star, which broke the story, the two met in middle school after Muhammad's family had just emigrated from Pakistan. Muhammad, who spoke no English, was soon befriended by Ho and they began working on the project at Ho's house last September.

"People would walk into the house and see us building this fantastical thing with a parachute from scratch, and they would be like, 'What are you doing?'" says Ho. "We'd be like, 'We're sending cameras to space.' They'd be like, 'Oh, okayyyyy …'" he said.

Astrophysics professor Dr Michael Reid, from the University of Toronto, praised the boys, saying: "It shows a tremendous degree of resourcefulness. For two 17-year-olds to accomplish this on their own is pretty impressive."

Lego sent a note of congratulations. "We are always amazed by the creative ways in which Lego fans use our products, and humbled by how many unsuspecting places we appear, like attached to a helium balloon in … space," said the company's brand relations director, Michael McNally.


http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/jan/26/canadian-teenagers-lego-man-space?fb=native

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andretmzt
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by andretmzt » Thu Jan 26, 2012 6:51 pm

How is this news :?

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Iron Nan
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Iron Nan » Thu Jan 26, 2012 6:52 pm

Littering on an epic scale. :fp:

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Ecno
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Ecno » Thu Jan 26, 2012 6:58 pm

What would happen if it hit a plane on the way up?

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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Corazon de Leon » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:00 pm

Iron Nan wrote:Littering on an epic scale. :fp:


Or not, as they recovered it when it came back down.

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False
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by False » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:02 pm

Man I wish I had smart friends and motivation when I was growing up.

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The People's ElboReformat
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by The People's ElboReformat » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:02 pm

Is there a full video of it? I want to see it crashing back down to ground.

Ecno wrote:What would happen if it hit a plane on the way up?

Legowned.

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That
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by That » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:11 pm

Ecno wrote:What would happen if it hit a plane on the way up?


Probably nothing - it's literally lighter than air, after all - it's not exactly going to pack a punch.

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Finiarél
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Finiarél » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:13 pm

Falsey wrote:Man I wish I had smart friends and motivation when I was growing up.


Bitch, i believe i found an unlimited rare candy exploit..... That actually helped us.

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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Shadow » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:14 pm

Ecno wrote:What would happen if it hit a plane on the way up?


Then Muhammed would be spending the next 20 years getting waterboarded in Guantanamo.

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False
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by False » Thu Jan 26, 2012 7:34 pm

Finiarél wrote:
Falsey wrote:Man I wish I had smart friends and motivation when I was growing up.


Bitch, i believe i found an unlimited rare candy exploit..... That actually helped us.


And the mystery gift/n64 time reset. Hells to the yeah.

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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Preezy » Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:22 pm

That's great :D

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Meep
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Meep » Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:50 pm

Why isn't he wearing a tiny spacesuit? They should be deducted points.

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Pontius Pilate
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Pontius Pilate » Thu Jan 26, 2012 8:53 pm

You'd think Lego would have sent them some sweet free lego!

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tomvek
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by tomvek » Fri Jan 27, 2012 4:11 am

Such a cool little project :)

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Jenko
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Jenko » Fri Jan 27, 2012 4:35 am

Gay and fake

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1cmanny1
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by 1cmanny1 » Fri Jan 27, 2012 8:41 am

Im not a expert like you, but i don't see how that is gay. However it does look very fake!

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Knoyleo
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Knoyleo » Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:45 am

Yeah, you can totally tell that man isn't really a man at all, he's made of plastic! And the scale of the flag is all wrong too. Plus the Earth wouldn't curve like that if they really did it, because it's actually flat.

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1cmanny1
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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by 1cmanny1 » Fri Jan 27, 2012 9:47 am

Knoyleo wrote:Yeah, you can totally tell that man isn't really a man at all, he's made of plastic! And the scale of the flag is all wrong too. Plus the Earth wouldn't curve like that if they really did it, because it's actually flat.


I know, don't Canadians go to school? Plastic men don't fool me.

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PostRe: Canadian teenagers send Lego man into space
by Archaeon » Fri Jan 27, 2012 11:29 am

Shadow wrote:
Ecno wrote:What would happen if it hit a plane on the way up?


Then Muhammed would be spending the next 20 years getting waterboarded in Guantanamo.


Jesus :lol:

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