Some UCSD freshmen have boldly sent some cockroaches where no cockroaches have gone before (sort of).
Twenty-two aerospace engineering students supervised by a couple of brainiac TA's designed space capsules to hold the tiny passengers, which would slip the surly bonds of Earth with the aid of a high-altitude balloon. The odd craft was launched on March 12 from Plaster City, Calif., into "near space" at 85,000 feet, where the cockroaches braved temperatures reaching 40 below and high solar radiation.
Unfortunately, they all survived.
"What makes this project unique is that it's a hands-on project that allowed students to launch a high-altitude balloon into near space, which is something that our students have never done before,” said professor John Kosmatka of the Jacobs School of Engineering.
No word yet if there are any plans for -- all together now -- pigs innnnn spaaaaaaaaaaaaace.
