A HAMPSHIRE teddy bear called Derek has been launched into space this lunch time.
Derek the Steiff teddy has been sent into the great unknown at the end of a Helium balloon, equipped with a camera and GPS tracking.
He is expected to go 40km into the air above the New Forest, dressed in a silver space suit, and will fall back down to earth at around 4pm.
It is part of an experience by Toynbee School Science Club and the University of Southampton in a bid to observe how conditions change the further you are from the Earth’s surface.
Derek is fitted with trackers and sensing equipment to record information about temperature and pressure, as well as tracking information about his decent.
