Missing toy dog launched into space by Morecambe Bay schoolchildren sparks search campaign
Sam the Dog could be anywhere within a 40 to 50-mile radius of Burnley
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A group of schoolchildren are searching for a toy dog which went missing after they launched it into space.
As part of a science project, the pupils from Morecambe Bay Community Primary School used a giant helium balloon to see if they could send Sam the Dog, a cuddly toy mascot, to the edge of space.
With the aid of SentIntoSpace, a British company which specialises in such projects, they strapped Sam onto his spacecraft, along with a GPS tracker and a GoPro camera to capture the action.
The 'launch', which took place on 5 April at a hotel in the town, proved successful. Sam rose at a stately pace of 6 metres per second, eventually peaking at a height of 15 miles.
However, the problems began during his descent. The balloon popped and Sam's spacecraft plummeted to Earth, eventually landing in a field near Burnley, over 30 miles away from the launchpad. The GPS and camera were there, but Sam was nowhere to be seen.
Now, the school has mounted a campaign to find the dog, who could be anywhere within a 40 to 50-mile radius of the landing site.
Such a large radius means Sam could potentially have ended up in the Irish Sea - however, the team behind the launch say they are "confident" that he landed inland.
This still leaves them with quite a search, since the potential landing area stretches from Liverpool to York, taking in Sheffield and the Yorkshire Dales at the same time.
Twitter users are being urged to take part in the #FindSam hashtag as the search goes on, and anyone with information is asked to get in touch with Morcambe Bay's Midland Hotel.
As if a school full of sad children wasn't reason enough to go out and search for Sam, the person who finds him will win a complimentary stay at the hotel.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments