It’s hard to believe that a month ago humans were unable to launch a donut into space. It was March 2015 and the world was in turmoil. Space travel was but a dream for even the richest pastry and we humans would never be able to grasp the concept of – let alone plan the injection of – a pastry in space. How things have changed.
Benjamin and Alexander Jönsson are brothers from Sweden who sent a particularly lurid European donut 20 miles high. Their triumph, which happened on April 9, is only now percolating around the world and is a testament to the tenacity of a pair of Swedes who went to the ends of the Earth AKA Norway to dance “the skies on laughter-silvered wings.” Their balloon took the donut up to the edge of space and then popped, sending it back down into Lake Vättern where volunteers pulled it out.
Why is this important? Because, at this point in our technological development, sending objects into space and recording the result is trivial. It’s amazing to me that two brothers, on a whim, can send a pastry into the stratosphere without much expense and, with a bit of off-the-shelf hardware, record the results. While this is mostly a joke, what happens when young astrophysicists use the lessons learned here to truly investigate space?
I would also note that that pink donut looks really gross. In fact, I’d love to see a Timbit or a nice Boston Creme hit the icy reaches of space and then return right into my waiting mouth. Then, and only then, would we truly enter a new era of space-based desserts.