Tornado Alley (PROG)

[F6]

The science and engineering behind Lego Man’s balloon voyage
Jan 28 2012
Teenaged imaginations dreamed up Lego Man’s sky-high adventure but science — not just whimsy — made the little toy’s voyage a headline-grabbing success.
A 1,200-gram weather balloon, the crucial role of gravity, quiver-reducing ropes, Styrofoam’s versatility, burst altitude, a University of Wyoming website and a free software program for shutterbugs were part of the formula Mathew Ho and Asad Muhammad, both 17, used to launch, film and land the patriotic, flag-bearing Lego Man.
The duct-taped Styrofoam capsule was released three weeks ago at a Newmarket soccer pitch by the Grade 12 students from Agincourt Collegiate Institute.
It soared 24 kilometres into the stratosphere via balloon then landed 97 minutes later in dense bush near Rice Lake, south of Peterborough — a remarkably close return considering January’s winter winds were howling.
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http://www.thestar.com/news/article/1122894


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Toronto Lego Man in Space

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBQkgejRQ8U