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
