Santa sent into space by science-loving pair

Santa Claus flew 100,000 ft into the air attached to the helium balloon – the idea of Mark ireland and Cassie Phelps.

The pair attached a camera to a high altitude weather balloon to capture Santa and his faithful sidekick Rudolph soaring high above the earth.

The balloon flew for around two hours before bursting and sending Santa back to earth – the model travelled around 70 miles during its flight from the Forest of Dean to its eventual landing site in Yeovil, Somerset.

Going for a stroll in space

News of the festive journey comes as astronauts begin the first of a series of urgent repair spacewalks at the International Space Station.

The two men will disconnect an ammonia pump that contains a faulty valve.

The breakdown has crippled the space station’s critical cooling system for the past ten days.

Saturday also marks the winter solstice, held on the shortest day each year in the northern hemisphere.

The event is claimed to be more important in the pagan calendar than the summer solstice, because it marks the “re-birth” of the sun for the new year.