A couple of Ford sales people came up with an elaborate way of marking the Mustang’s 50th anniversary by sending to outer space. Incredibly, they did what they set out to do and sent a Ford Mustang to outer space, only it was actually a model car, and it was mounted on a balloon.
Still, it was a great feat to achieve. The guys behind this ambitious project got hold of a high-altitude weather balloon, and added a rod to the side instrumentation box where they fitted a Revell Mustang model car.
The balloon took off and after 74 minutes it reached an altitude of 110,000 feet, or nearly 21 miles. And so that model car became the first and only car-shaped object to be in outer space. Six hours after launch the car landed in a field and onboard cameras were retrieved with footage proving that the Mustang has expanded its limits to the atmosphere.
Maybe someday Ford can revisit this stunt themselves and send a real Mustang to space using a real rocket. Car is one of the most important human inventions and we should put one somewhere in the space station, just in case there are other beings out there. Let them marvel at the sound of a 5.0 V8! That is if the engine works in outer space, of course…
