Stuffed dog miles away from Earth

London - If you find a bedraggled cuddly toy dumped on the ground today, give it a second look – you may have stumbled across a pioneer of space exploration.

The hunt is on for Sam the toy dog, who was launched to the edge of space as part of a school project before contact with ground control was lost.

Space scientists say he could have come back to earth anywhere across a swathe of northern England and have appealed to the public to be on the look-out.

The white fluffy toy was attached to a helium balloon along with GPS tracking equipment and cameras on Tuesday before being released, travelling more than 12 miles above the Earth’s surface.

Pupils from Morecambe Bay Community Primary School in Lancashire – who monitored Sam’s flight to teach them about space and illustrate the curvature of the Earth – enjoyed several stunning images showing him floating high above the planet.

But after the balloon popped and the equipment returned to earth, landing around 48 miles to the south-east in a field near Burnley, Sam – the mascot of a Lake District tourism organisation – was nowhere to be seen.

Now mission scientists are grappling with the hitherto overlooked discipline of the aerodynamics of a toy dog in the hope of tracking him down.

And if that fails, a luxury stay at the art deco Midland Hotel in Morecambe is being offered to anyone who finds and returns the toy.

Ben Berry, of English Lakes Hotels Resorts and Venues, which has put up the reward for the return of its mascot, said: ‘Space travel is a risky business and Sam’s freefall didn’t quite go as planned.’

Siobhan Collingwood, headmistress at the school, said: ‘The children would love to see Sam the Dog safely returned with tales to tell of his adventures.’

Chris Rose, of Sheffield company Sent Into Space, which works with schools around the country on budget space projects, said: ‘We’re pretty sure Sam landed within a 40-50 mile radius of Burnley. He could have landed in North Lancashire or as far afield as York, Sheffield, or the Peak District.’

Daily Mail