Toronto Teens Send Lego Minifig to Space

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Lego Minifig in Space

Lego Minifig in Space

Two young makers from Toronto, Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, both age 17, successfully sent a Lego minifig and four cameras to roughly 78,000 feet elevation on a homemade weather balloon. After a 97-minute flight, the balloon returned to Earth with great footage of the journey.

Inspired by a similar project done by MIT students, they were determined to make everything from scratch, down to sewing the 5-foot-diameter parachute. After about five months worth of weekends devoted to the build, they did it, and have some great photos to show for their hard work. Check out the video posted on the Toronto Star to hear them talk about their project and to see their balloon pics.

[Thanks Rachel!]

26 thoughts on “Toronto Teens Send Lego Minifig to Space

  1. Roy Maybery says:

    I am guessing that helium was used, though i might be wrong about that. However if so, It has occured to me that more altitude might be achieved if hydrogen was substituted. It is little flamible perhaps on an oxygen atmosphere but who cares once it is at high altitude where ther is little or none.
    Roy Maybery

  2. Toronto teens send Lego minifig into space « Blunt Object says:

    […] And now we find that a couple of Lego Maniacs (remember those commercials?) have sent a Lego minifig into space. […]

  3. James says:

    What would happen if this went through an aircraft’s engine?

    1. Alan Dove says:

      Depends on what kind of aircraft. A propeller would just shred it and fly on, but a turbine might suffer some serious damage. That’s why the FAA and other aviation regulators require high-altitude balloon launchers to get clearance first, so they can issue a warning to air traffic in the area. If someone got proper clearance and conducted the launch as scheduled, but a plane flew into the balloon anyway, liability would be on the pilot.

  4. La figura de Lego que ascendió a 25 km de altura | Noticias CEU says:

    […] En thestar.com, vía Make. […]

  5. Lego Minifig in Space of the Day - TDW Geeks says:

    […] [make] Submitted by: UnknownIncorrect source or offensive? […]

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  7. Kids Shoot LEGO Figure Into Space | Kotaku Australia says:

    […] Toronto Teens Send Lego Minifig toSpace [MAKE] canadatoyslego  Discuss  Share  Tweet  Email  More get_count_post('http://www.kotaku.com.au/2012/01/kids-shoot-lego-figure-into-space/','post-487297'); « Previous post […]

  8. Putting the GIF in TGIF! | The Nanigans says:

    […] TO INFINITY AND BEYOND: This is absolutely the coolest story and video about supremely clever lego-loving Canadian science n… […]

  9. Teens Photograph Lego Minifigure at Edge of Space for $400 | fozbaca’s WordPress says:

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  10. Kids Shoot LEGO Into Space « thegonzowire says:

    […] http://blog.makezine.com/2012/01/25/toronto-teens-send-lego-minifig-to-space/ Share this:TwitterFacebookLike this:LikeBe the first to like this post. Leave a comment […]

  11. This is a problem with a very easy solution « Blunt Object says:

    […] we let them spend their own money on space travel programmes, sort of like these guys or these guys or these guys?  Problem solved. Share this:EmailFacebookTwitterRedditStumbleUponLike this:LikeBe […]

  12. lego minifigures series says:

    That’s amazing and really incredible. Super cool stuff!

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I'm a word nerd who loves to geek out on how emerging technology affects the lexicon. I was an editor on the first 40 volumes of MAKE, and I love shining light on the incredible makers in our community. In particular, covering art is my passion — after all, art is the first thing most of us ever made. When not fawning over perfect word choices, I can be found on the nearest mountain, looking for untouched powder fields and ideal alpine lakes.

Contact me at snowgoli@gmail.com or via @snowgoli.

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