In an exemplary feat, a 15-year-old Zurich boy has sent a Swiss army knife into the stratosphere, using a high altitude weather balloon equipped with a camera to record the flight.
Samuel Hess achieved the feat on February 15 when he released the weather balloon from Adlikon in the canton of Zurich, Switzerland.
The three-metre balloon was equipped with a camera, Global Positioning System (GPS), a parachute and a Swiss army knife attached to a cable, 'The Local' reported.
The balloon lifted off and reached the stratosphere, 30,000 metres high in an hour and a half.
As expected the balloon exploded and the parachute carried the payload, including the camera and the knife back to Earth.
The camera on board captured an image of the knife floating up to the stratosphere and returning to a field.
The knife landed outside of Switzerland near the southern German town of Augsburg.
According to 20 Minuten newspaper, Hess had initially shelved the idea when he saw how complicated and costly this would be.
Hess was then able to attract the interest of Victorinox, the Swiss army knife producer, who financed his project.
