Alex Hoppe is a freshman living in Gregory Heights who wants to launch a pie into space!  That’s right – this 9th grader wants to launch a PIE! Into space! “You may be thinking, ‘What?!?’ But it’s true,” Alex told The B-Town Blog. “I will attach a ‘space craft’ carrying pie to a weather balloon and send it into space.” Most 9th graders are usually too busy thinking about school, homework, sports or um…bodily functions controlled by hormones to think about sending a pastry into the heavens.Pie 1 Logo Black and White And while Alex probably thinks of those things as well (what freshman doesn’t?), he also has higher goals – namely, launching something cool into space, like a pie. Oh, he’ll also include a GoPro camera to record the entire adventure, which should make for some cool video. But Alex needs help – $839 total to be exact (see his full budget here) – and that’s why he’s launched a Kickstarter campaign – check it out (and donate) here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/92851479/pie-in-space Here are some of the rewards for backing Alex’s project:

  • $25: Thanks! You get your very own t-shirt with the “Ï€1” logo. Plus rewards 1, 2, and 3!
  • $50: You can send me any picture of your choice (Must be SFW). I will sign it, send it into space, and return to you with a note from me. This also includes a “Ï€1” t-shirt and rewards 1, 2, and 3!
  • $100: You get to come to the launch and get either the balloon remains or the parachute. Plus Rewards 1, 2, 3, and 4! (First backer gets first choice. You will have to arrange your own transportation to central Washington.)
  • $150: You get to come to the launch site and eat PIE FROM SPACE!!! Plus Rewards 1, 2, 3, and 4. (You will have to arrange your own transportation to central Washington.)
BigLogoPie in space Here’s more from his Kickstarter website:
Why a pie? “I don’t know! Really, I’ve just always had this thing for pie: Pumpkin, Apple, Chocolate. I love them all. 😛 When I was designing this project I thought to myself, ‘How can I make my project different from all the other weather balloon projects?’ Then it hit me – PIE! No one has sent pie into space before!” And that is why there will be pie in space! “I have always had a passion for aerospace; fascinated by planes and spaceships,” Alex said. “I first learned about the art of sending weather balloons into space when I stumbled across this blog.  It is about a man who sent an R/C airplane into space! Fascinated about the idea I did a little research into the subject. I found that many people had sent balloons into space successfully. Encouraged by the success of others I decided that I would send my own balloon into space!” Risks and challenges There will be many challenges facing this project but I feel confident that I can overcome them as I am a g33k with a passion for aerospace. For example I will need to create a rig to hold the pie in place so it does not drop and suffer re-entry burns. DON’T BURN THE PIE! I am an aspiring engineer, so I have the technical knowledge to build something that will cook the pie to JUST the right amount. I mean build a rig. :p Aside from the technical aspects, which I feel quite confident about, there is always nature. A freak thunder storm could form or maybe a strong wind in the upper atmosphere. These risks and many more face my project. I will plan for these risks and try to avoid them with advanced weather software and specialized balloon flight path simulators, but there is always a chance that these precautions will not be enough. There is a good chance that I will never face these risks but I am confident in my ability to assess and avoid them if they do occur.
Alex assures us that if he meets his goal and sends a pie into space, he’ll share the video from it right here on The B-Town Blog!]]>

Since 2007, The B-Town Blog is Burien’s multiple award-winning hyperlocal news/events website dedicated to independent journalism.

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