Send Picard to Space A Success

Logan Kugler and two dozen colleagues “Made it so” last Saturday in Illinois. The www.sendpicardtospace.com team launched action figures of Picard, Riker and Data (aboard a model of the Enterprise-D) and Kirk, J.J. Abrams and Roberto Orci (aboard the Enterprise NCC-1701) into the stratosphere via a giant latex Kaymont balloon also fitted with multiple cameras and tracking systems. The captains and equipment spent two hours aloft, 90 minutes of that in the stratosphere, until the balloon popped and the payload parachuted safely back to Earth. Kugler sent StarTrek.com a photo essay capturing the big event, which was the first of its kind. Check it out below, and keep an eye on StarTrek.com for a first-hand recap of the campaign and event written by Kugler exclusively for StarTrek.com, along with video footage of the action figures’ adventures in space.

Memory cards courtesy of SanDisk

Ordering 25 Subway sandwiches to feed the crew

Breaking out the helium tanks

Discovery Channel doing interview

Balloon filling begins

Picard (and Riker and Data) getting ready to fly!

Kirk (and J.J. Abrams and Roberto Orci) getting ready to fly!

Hard at work

Last minute adjustments

Star Trek communicator buttons all taped in for the flight

Flight Director

Attaching the balloon

Almost ready!

Final countdown

Max Schlickenmeyer filming for the final video

Release!

Up, up and away

The pursuit - we had a 9-car tracking convoy, including a dedicated tracking vehicle

Inside the tracking vehicle - we had an entire car just filled with trackers on their laptops

The Jeep in safari mode

We're close! We know it's landed within 300 yards of here.

"I see it! I see it!"

We found it!

Picard's precision landing. He sure knows how to land a starship!

The picture-perfect landing from another angle

Kirk's landing

Smile for national television!

The launch crew

The launch crew (cont.)

Mission success!

SPOT tracking

Flight profile

Hard at work on radio interviews