A special tribute for Kamal Haasan ahead of his birthday

Actor-politician Kamal Haasan’s legion of fans were in for a big surprise as they were gearing up for their beloved star’s birthday on 7th November. A 3D printed statue of the actor was attached to two high altitude balloon satellites that were launched from ground level aiming to gather data about the air quality during and post Diwali. The balloons reached an altitude of approximately 70,000 feet. This initiative was been conceptualised by SB Arjun from Kamal Haasan’s team, and executed by Space Kidz India, headed by Dr.

Srimathy Kesan

and his team of college students.

They had the honour of inventing the world’s smallest satellite, KalamSat, which was launched to space by NASA and they have also launched 2 Satellite payloads with ISRO along with fifteen other balloon satellites since 2015, all with the aim of scientific research.

Interestingly, this is the first time ever, across the globe, that a statue of any living person has been attached to a balloon satellite that was launched into space.Data from both balloon satellites was collected and compared for a complete analysis to study the various parameters of air quality. The first balloon was launched on 4th November at Spaceport India, Chennai while the second on November 5.