Dad launches 'teddy bear astronaut' into space using an engineered flight module.
Inspiring his kids to "dream big," a father crafted a flight module piloted by a teddy bear, using a helium balloon, parachute, and electronics.
“The point of the project was to inspire kids and encourage them to dream big,” says Tarpy, who is a software engineer by day.
This footage shows the bear’s launch from a park in Bedford, England, to a height of about 19 miles into space.
“To show that seemingly impossible things become possible with creativity and hard work.”
The bear eventually completed a return journey to Earth via parachute.
Tarpy says he and his two children recovered the toy about 25 miles from the original launch site.
Tarpy chose a teddy bear as the "pilot" to make the project more relatable. It also added to the adventure when chasing 40-plus miles across the country to recover the teddy and the flight module.
“At burst point (30km up), the balloon was a massive 254 cubic meters, with a diameter of 7.86 meters.”