When Bishop, California-based high school group Earth to Sky wanted to learn more about solar radiation, it knew there was only one possible option — to send a rubber chicken named Camilla into the upper reaches of the atmosphere. The group teamed up with a class of 5th graders during last month's massive solar storm, and used a helium balloon to launch Camilla and a lunchbox filled with cameras, a cryogenic thermometer, GPS trackers, seven insects, and 24 sunflower seeds 119,000 feet into the air. The chicken was outfitted with radiation badges to measure the storm, and at its highest the balloon managed to reach the top 99 percent of the planet's atmosphere.
Of course, Camilla isn't any regular chicken — she's the mascot for NASA's...
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