Stuffed dog goes missing in space

Sam the Dog has gone where no stuffed animal has gone before — into the stratosphere and the English unknown.

Teachers and pupils at an elementary school in Morecambe in northwest England strapped the white fluffy school mascot to a high-altitude helium balloon and launched him from a hotel roof Tuesday. They recorded his rapid ascent some 15 miles (24 kilometers) into the atmosphere, much higher than planned, and captured the trip with an on-board video camera.

After the balloon burst, Sam disappeared. The school hoped to retrieve him, but he was missing from the site where the balloon’s camera and GPS system landed some 30 miles (50 kilometers) to the east.

They have launched a social media-driven hunt for Sam in hopes that someone in northern England will find him.