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Teenager sends Lego shuttle into space

Footage shows the tiny model crusted with icicles after rising high above the Earth.

Mar 9th 2012, 11:55 AM 8,683 Views 45 Comments

Image: vinciverse via Creative Commons/Flickr

AFTER BUILDING A space shuttle out of Lego, Raul Oaida decided to put his plastic vessel to the ultimate test – by sending it into space.

The 18-year-old Romanian student attached a parachute and helium balloon to the shuttle, along with a GPS navigation system and a camera to capture all the action.

The incredible footage that returned shows the tiny model soaring above the clouds, before rising above the Earth to withstand 320mph winds at the edge of space.

Oaida writes on his blog that he was always “profoundly inspired by spaceflight”, and so decided to launch the shuttle from Germany last December.

Uploaded by vinciverse

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Jennifer Wade

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Teenager sends Lego shuttle into space