Beer balloons its way to space

A beer-boffin has successfully sent a pint of his favourite brew into space using a balloon that he launched from his local pub.

Rocket scientist Chris Smith can finally boast photographic evidence of his beer in space, ending months of nervous waiting after he first sent his pint of London Pride for its dizzying ride.

Chris, of space-tech firm European Astrotech, launched his first flight in July from The White Swan, in Whitchurch, near Aylesbury, England.

However, corrupted image files on both cameras denied drinkers worldwide the chance to see just what happens to beer at such extreme altitude.

But with this successfully collected photo, it is clear to see that the beer freezes solid at such heights.

The payload reached an impressive 24.3km under an extremely modest 200g balloon, and following its burst, the beer was recovered intact.

This allowed for a taste-test of the post-orbit pint, which “tasted pretty grim” according to Mr Smith.