A special school in Stockport launched a successful ‘space’ mission in celebration of the school’s science week. Heaton School launched the doll, named Chelsea, above the Earth’s atmosphere in a three-hour journey.
During the school's science week, students took part in various space-themed activities including eating space food and creating messages to send to space.
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Heaton School worked in partnership with Manchester University to teach their students which materials would work best in the atmosphere due to the harsh conditions.
Heaton School is Stockport’s Secondary Special School for young people with severe learning difficulties, profound and multiple learning difficulties, autism and complex medical needs. The students were able to create protective material and a platform so the doll could return back safely.
The space mission was named ‘Chalo’ which translates to ‘keep going’ in Urdu and was launched on Friday, June 16 using a weather balloon. A live link to the camera on the astronaut allowed Heaton School students to experience the launch of their very own astronaut.
The doll ultimately was launched 36 kilometers (36,000 metres) in the air before deploying back safely. To compare, the summit of Mount Everest is around 8,800 metres.
Jonathan Curtis, headteacher at Heaton School said: “It was so amazing to see all our students so engaged and their learning coming to life.”
Kyle Richmond, the lead science teacher at Heaton School said: “We are very proud of what we have achieved.
“it was an honour for me being able to facilitate the experience for all those involved and I couldn't be more pleased with the result for our wonderful young people."
The full video of the launch alongside an edited version to watch the successful space mission, Chalo, can be watched on YouTube.
