Dad Uses Weather Balloon to Send Son’s Toy Into Space [VIDEO]
Between this guy and the dude who built a replica Wipeout obstacle course in the street for his kids, the race for "Coolest Dad in the History of Parenthood" is a tight one.
One day, Ron Fugelseth got the wild idea to send his 4-year-old son's favorite toy, "Stanley" on a trip generally reserved for astronauts. Using a weather balloon as the aircraft, Ron built a small foam box to store an old cell phone and HD camera. The cell phone would serve as the crafts GPS so Ron could find Stanley once the trip was over.
After enjoying a spectacular view of the Earth from 18 miles up in the sky, Stanley crash landed in a corn field some 27 miles away after the lack of atmospheric pressure caused the balloon to burst. Thanks to his to background as a graphic designer, Ron was able to give Stanley facial expressions as he went where no other toy has gone before.