Scientists have launched plenty of people and things into space, but a British supermarket is the first to send up a piece of breaded protein.
To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Iceland Foods Ltd., commonly known as Iceland, sent a chicken nugget into the cosmos.
In a video released by the chain, viewers can watch the nugget’s ascent into space.
The grocery store chain hired Sent Into Space to launch the chicken nugget into space. According to its website, Sent Into Space is the “world’s leading space marketing company, specialising in space-themed marketing campaigns and publicity stunts.”
“From a site in rural Wales, the nugget traveled through the Earth’s atmosphere to an altitude of 110,000 feet (that’s 33.5 km) where it floated in the region known as Near Space,” Sent Into Space wrote in a statement on its website. That would be 20.7 miles.
The nugget spent an hour “floating” in space in low pressure and temperatures that can drop to -65 degrees Celsius, according to Sent Into Space.
Near space is the region between our livable atmosphere and outer space, accoring to Sent Into Space. It begins roughly 12 miles (19 km) above Earth where atmospheric pressure reaches the point where a human requires a pressurized suit to survive. Outer space begins at roughly 62 miles (100 km) above earth.
The nugget was launched near the company’s headquarters in Wales in a gas-filled weather balloon with an auxiliary satellite tracking system and integrated camera support. The Irish News reported that the nugget descended at 200 mph, with a parachute deploying around 62,000 feet for the nugget’s protection.
“What better way to show that our products are out of this world than by sending one of our customer favorites into space?” Andrew Staniland, Iceland’s trading director, told The Irish News.
“We’ve all changed the way we shop in recent months and frozen food has never been so popular. We’re looking forward to continuing to celebrate our 50th year with customers and thanking them for their support.”
