A North West Hotel group has been helping a team of fledgling scientists at a local primary school to experiment with space travel by sending a canine cuddly toy to the edge of space.
School children in Morecambe have designed a physics project to use helium balloons, GPS tracking equipment and GoPro action cameras to see how high they could send ‘Sam the Dog’, the lucky mascot of the town’s art deco masterpiece, the Midland Hotel.
Morecambe Bay Community Primary School joined forces with English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues and SentIntoSpace.com on the educational project to send the hotel group’s popular mascot into space from the Midland Hotel waterfront.
Sam the Dog was fitted to a specially designed payload containing tracking systems. He rose at a rate of 6 metres per second, reaching an altitude of over 25 kilometres above the earth.
Ben Berry from English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues explained: “This has been an exciting science project for the children – it has put them in charge of their very own edge of space mission and we were more than happy to give Sam the Dog the chance to follow in Tim Peake’s recent footsteps.
“We were fortunate enough to get a nice clear day which has provided some stunning aerial photographs and footage from above Morecambe and the whole bay area.”
School pupil George, aged 10, from Morecambe said: “We’ve made history for the school here today and I’m excited to have helped send a toy into space.”
Siobhan Collingwood from Morecambe Bay Community Primary School added: “The orbital launch is the culmination of a two week long space initiative for the children which has included rocket science, Martian experiments and space exploration in a planetarium.
“The SentIntoSpace.com team has a real passion for science and it’s been great to use their expertise and the support of English Lakes Hotels Resorts & Venues to get this exciting project off the ground. The UK Space Agency also provided us with a real life space suit for the children to learn about space survival.
“We have been able to tailor lesson plans, presentations and worksheets around the project to add to the usual science curriculum. We will also be using the data and the images recorded from Sam the Dog’s flight as teaching materials. It all contributes to the learning experience for the students and provides a sense of visual achievement.”
Chris Rose from Sheffield based SentIntoSpace.com said: “We have a passion for practical science projects like this and for helping students of all ages and abilities become more engaged in learning. Sending Sam the Dog into space was an ideal opportunity for the children to learn more about gravity, meteorology, technology and of course travel at the edge of space.”
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