7th-grader sends doll into 'near space'

• Tweet

ANTIOCH, Calif., Feb. 3 (UPI) -- A seventh-grader in California said she sent her Hello Kitty doll into near space in a fake rocket attached to a weather balloon for her school project.

Lauren Rojas, a 13-year old from Antioch, said she wanted to test the effects of altitude on the balloon's air pressure and temperature. To record the journey, she attached cameras to the rocket and then fastened it to the balloon.

Hello Kitty went along for the ride in the rocket just for fun, the New York Daily News reported.

"I liked her ever since I was 6 years old," Lauren told the New York Daily News. "I thought it would be really fun to add a toy inside the rocket."

At its highest point, the rocket reached 93,625 feet above the ground, and the balloon was 53 times larger than its original size before bursting open.

Hello Kitty's rocket fell back down to earth with the help of a parachute, New York Daily News said. It landed in a tree 47.5 miles from the launch site.

Lauren said she has uploaded the video recordings to YouTube, where it has attracted more than 70,000 views.