Tech firm sends ultra portable tablet on big space adventure
Surface Book 2 would survive its journey,” said mark Sewell, chief information officer (CIo) at Curo Talent. “However, we were pleased to hear from the landing team that the Surface Book 2 not only survived its mission, but is in perfect working condition.”
The Surface Book 2 was attached to a hydrogen inflated latex balloon that travelled up beyond the Armstrong limit, which is the altitude above which no human can survive without a pressurised environment. The launch was designed to capture interesting scientific data.
“Through the journey we can not only track the exact location of the balloon at all times, but also find out useful information about its journey,” Dan Blaney, business operations manager at Sent Into Space, said.
“For this mission, we know that the Surface Book 2 survived temperatures of near -60ºC, air pressure of less than 1% of sea level air and speeds of over 210mph on descent. The fact that the device survived and still works is very impressive.”
The launch was witnessed by a group of 12 school children from a nearby primary school, who learned about the science and technology behind the project.
Alongside the Surface Book 2, a series of postcards addressed to inspiring scientists or those with influence across the science and technology sectors were launched.
The postcards will be sent to their intended recipients with a letter of authenticity, urging increased funding and support for the next generation of science, technology and space experts.
“Space is truly inspiring,” Sewell continued. “Seeing the children get excited about the project and having them ask well thought out questions shows that the next generation will be inspired to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering or math (STem) subjects with the right support.”