'Meatspace': Lamb Chop Sent Into Space Returns To Earth [Watch Video]

Lamb Meat — In Photo: A Kashmiri 'Waza' or chef, minces lamb meat on a stone with a wooden hammer during the making of 'Wazwan', a traditional Kashmiri feast, during a ceremony in Srinagar August 7, 2007. Wazwan comprises of mostly seven meat dishes and is served to the guests during a ceremony. It is tradition that four guests are given a plate each and eat together while a Waza serves the dishes one by one. Picture taken August 7, 2007. Reuters/Fayaz Kabli

On June 14, Nikesh Shukla, a novelist, and his two friends attached a tandoori lamb chop to a 2-metre-wide weather balloon. They launched it into the stratosphere to a distance of 31 kilometres.

According to the Independent, the trio strapped a GoPro to the lamb chop, which they bought from Tayyabs in east London, after which they launched it into space. For 95 minutes, the balloon rose at 325 metres per minute. It then burst somewhere over West Berkshire. Unfortunately, the GPS connection was lost a little while after it burst. For a span of five months, the lamb chop disappeared.

The trio had hoped re-connection of the GPS would happen. The device got scrambled up because of the freezing temperatures close to space, and the device did not survive. The trio's attempt was made to promote Shukla's novel, "Meatspace." Shukla's friends thought the footage, as well as the lamb chop, was gone and they would not be able to retrieve it.

A month after the lamb chop disappeared, a farm worker named Adam discovered the chop, as well as the camera, while he harvested land in Dorset, which is about 82 miles from the site of the launch. Adam contacted Nick Hearne, the flight organiser.

The trio were excited to hear about it, but whenever they tried to arrange to meet Adam, he would stand them up. Each time, Adam would call them from different numbers and give excuses. He had arranged to meet them at Dorchester, Bridgend and Weston-super-Mare on different days, but he did not turn up. Because of which the trio's hope sunk.

In November, Adam got in touch with the trio, with help from Avon and Somerset police, and arranged for them to meet another farm worker called Will. Will handed over the footage to the trio, and they were shocked to see a video 100-minute long on the GoPro. The video showed the lamb chop making its ascent. A photo of the event now hangs at the wall of Tayyabs, a favourite curry house of the friends.