#FindSam: Search Is On For The Missing Toy-Dog Astronaut Sent To Space

Ground control to Major Sam!

Sam the dog is on the loose -- not just in any dog park, but after his trip to the edge of space.

Sam is no ordinary English pup. The fluffy white toy dog is considered an astronaut by children at the Morecambe Bay Community Primary School for their space project.

In partnership with Midland Hotel -- whose rooms are Sam's original play areas as their official mascot --and SentIntoSpace.com, the toy-dog astronaut was launched last week attached to a high-altitude helium balloon. As part of a science project, this balloon has GPS devices and GoPro cameras for documentation.

Images showed that Sam reached an altitude of around 15 miles (24 kilometers) before the unexpected happened.

A few minutes after takeoff, the balloon burst and came down in a field near Burnley. Sam seemed to detach during his re-entry and is still missing in action.

According to flight data, his location must be within 40- to 50-mile radius of the landing site.

Now, the Internet is hellbent on finding Sam. Social media started to help locate the missing astrodog somewhere in Northern England. North Lancashire launched a search and rescue mission for the cuddly cosmonaut with the hashtag #FindSam.

Emma Lotty Connolley, a mother of two daughters attending Morecambe, launched a Facebook page for the missing canine. As per this CNN report, the page was joined by over 900 people within just 12 hours of its launch to join the search.

Midland Hotel even offered a reward of a free stay in their hotel to anyone who can tell the Sam's location.

Sam's journey is a significant one, and it would bring back joy to children's hearts once he is found.

Chris Rose of SentIntoSpace.com told Lancashire Evening Post, "Sending Sam the Dog into space was an ideal opportunity for the children to learn more about gravity, meteorology and technology, and of course, travel at the edge of space."

Do you have any information about our astrodog Sam? If yes, contact Midland Hotel at 01539 433 773.