Last updated at 13:07, Friday, 01 February 2013

Cockermouth School students who launched a recording device into the atmosphere last week have appealed for help in finding one of the missing space packs.

• VIDEO: View from the balloon

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The sixth formers, who sent the cameras to the edge of space, retrieved one device only a few hours after take-off at it landed back in Embleton.

But a second pack is still to be found after it lost radio signal with the team who had been trying to track it from their base at the school.

The 12 teenagers were tasked with sending the equipment up to record footage of the Earth’s atmosphere, in a task dubbed Mission Control Cumbria.

They were the first in the county to attempt the challenge, launching giant helium balloons which burst and fell back down to Earth.

The project was set by West Cumbrian firms React Engineering, Createc and HiDef Aerial Surveying, in June last year.

Rik Smith, head of science at the school, said: “We need help from the general public in retrieving this second kit, so people should keep an eye out when they are out and about in Cockermouth and the surrounding villages.

“It is amazing that one of the devices was found so close to the school and if the students done their calculations right, the other one shouldn’t be far away either.

“The images and footage that has come back from the retrieved device are remarkable and in one we think we can see the other balloon in the distance.”

Emily Douglas, 17, of Cockermouth, said: “We’re desperately trying to find our device as it only had an 18 hour battery on the GPS tracker that we fitted to it.

“But also because we sent our team’s mascot George the astronaut up inside the kit, so it would be nice to get him back.”

l See the video from the space balloon at www.timesandstar.co.uk

First published at 13:00, Friday, 01 February 2013
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk