A frantic search is underway to recover photos and video footage showing Space Shuttle Discovery as it blasted into space, after a bunch of students attempted to document its launch using a camera-equipped helium balloon.

The students unleashed the balloon from a location in Florida in a bid to photograph Space Shuttle Discovery as it climbed into space at a height of 100,000 feet after leaving the Kennedy Space Center.

The balloon carried multiple cameras, computer equipment, mobile phones and a Garmin GPS system in a project called Quest for Stars.

It is hoped that the payload ? dubbed Robonaut-1 ? came back down to earth by parachute after being released by the balloon.

However, reports suggest that Robonaut-1 hit bad weather during its ascent.

Last night a recovery team had reached the impact site, according to an entry posted on the students? Twitter page: ?We are driving like we?re playing Grand Theft Auto?, the message read.

The team were due to resume their search at 6.00am (Florida time).

Space Shuttle Discovery – which is on its last mission – set off for the International Space Station.

For details see HERE

(via PetaPixel)

NEWS UPDATE FRIDAY 9pm: The Robonaut-1 has been located (see below)

To view the pics as they are processed visit:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/questforstarscom/132418516789197