Girl Blasts Hello Kitty Doll Into Space

[Hum]

It's a bird. It's a plane. No, it's Hello Kitty.

That's what a seventh grade student from California had in mind when she came up with her dream science project: sending a Hello Kitty doll her dad brought back from a business trip in Japan into space.

Lauren Rojas, a 12-year-old from Antioch, Calif., got the idea after seeing a television commercial in which a balloon was launched into the sky. She thought she could do the same with her Hello Kitty doll. She would test air pressure and temperature at high altitude for her school's science fair.

"I said, 'Wow, are you serious?'" Lauren's teacher, Annette Cluck of Cornerstone Christian School, told ABCNews.com. "I was kind of blown away because usually students don't do something that extravagant."

Cluck, who teaches seventh and eighth grade science at the school, gave Lauren the okay to move ahead with her project. Lauren turned to her dad, Rod Rojas, for help.

"We spent about one month planning and executing it," he said. "We used a company called High Altitude Science in Colorado to get the equipment, the weather balloon and flight computer."

Lauren and her father mounted small video cameras on their rocket-shaped gondola to record Hello Kitty's journey. The balloon reached an altitude of 93,625 feet (17.73 miles), Rojas said. There, the air was so thin that the balloon burst, sending Hello Kitty from the sky. It landed in a tree 47 miles from the launch sight, according to Rojas.

As with any good science project, presentation is key, so Lauren gave hers a 21 st-century twist by

to show the launch and the planning behind it. A family friend compiled the four-minute video. It has had nearly 200,000 views.

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[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

That is neat, I wonder how much it cost?

[Growled Member]

Lauren and her father mounted small video cameras on their rocket-shaped gondola to record Hello Kitty's journey. The balloon reached an altitude of 93,625 feet (17.73 miles), Rojas said. There, the air was so thin that the balloon burst, sending Hello Kitty from the sky. It landed in a tree 47 miles from the launch sight, according to Rojas.

That is excellent. I had no idea that a balloon would go that high.

[DocM]

Remember last summers space dive by Felix Baumgartner? Over 128,000 feet. I think the record is still 173,900 ft in 2002.

[Growled Member]

Remember last summers space dive by Felix Baumgartner? Over 128,000 feet. I think the record is still 173,900 ft in 2002.

I do now. It's been a long hard day at work is my only excuse.

[redvamp128]

[remixedcat]

breasts are useful as well.

[Hum]

In Space, no one can hear you meow ...

[Growled Member]

^ So that is why remixedcat is quiet sometimes. :p

[Raa]

It landed in a tree 47 miles from the launch sight

:pinch:

[LaP]

In Space, no one can hear you meow ...

God this is why remixedcat looked familiar. He was that cat in Alien.

[count0nz]

God this is why remixedcat looked familiar. He was that cat in Alien.

;-) Remixed Cat is a She :) and Yep i believe so... maby she Meowed at us from Space....

[LaP]

;-) Remixed Cat is a She :) and Yep i believe so... maby she Meowed at us from Space....

Hum the Community stats say Male ...

[RageOfFury]

That's awesome!

[Jason S. Global Moderator]

Wow. I just thought always that anything can be reach in space by using just some special kind of rockets but never know before that baloons can be also used to reach in space..!!

not sure if sarcastic... :huh:

title is a bit misleading... 93k feet isnt space..

[DocM]

title is a bit misleading... 93k feet isnt space..

True - the Karman Line** is 62 km/100 miles and this was only 17.6 miles, but cut the kid some slack :)

** altitude at which a winged vehicle would have to fly faster than orbital velocity to achieve any significant aerodynamic lift from the "air" present - the "edge of space."