Teen Gets Into MIT, Launches Acceptance Letter Into Space

vansau

Mortician of Love
May 25, 2010
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Teen Gets Into MIT, Launches Acceptance Letter Into Space


What do you do when you get into MIT at the age of 17? You shoot your acceptance letter up to the edge of space, with a camera attached to film the whole thing.

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology educates some pretty smart cookies. 17-year-old Erin King's managed to earn this particular honor, and was an early admission student to boot. Now, the young woman's posted a video of how she launched the tube carrying her acceptance letter up into the stratosphere.

You see, MIT sends out its early acceptance letters in cardboard tubes. Students are encouraged to "hack" these tubes in any creative way possible. Some of these hacks are pretty impressive, ranging from turning the tube into a flamethrower to dressing it up like R2-D2. However, King's project clearly takes the cake, as noted by a tipster who contacted BoingBoing:

"My name is Chris Peterson. I run web communications for MIT Admissions and have been a loyal BB reader for years. For the last several years we have been sending our admitted students their acceptance letters in cardboard tubes. First because we sent a poster, but now it's its own thing. 2012 is the anniversary of an old MIT balloon hack, so we put a letter in all of the Early Action admit tubes telling them we wanted them to hack the tubes somehow, and set up http://hackthetubes.mitadmissions.org to collect responses. Lots of them are great, but this one, from Erin King (MIT '16) in Georgia, is the best."

Erin King's YouTube page actually details all the steps and tools she used for the launch, as well as how far and how high it traveled.

Now, if you need me, I'll just be sitting in the corner feeling like a dumb old man.

Source: <a href=https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=mooIW92f9hA>YouTube via <a href=http://boingboing.net/2012/02/04/16-y-o-girl-accepted-to-mit.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boingboing%2FiBag+%28Boing+Boing%29>BoingBoing

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Feb 13, 2008
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vansau said:
Now, if you need me, I'll just be sitting in the corner feeling like a dumb old man.
The same MIT that put Steve Jobs as the 2nd greatest innovator of all time? Don't sit there too long. ;)

I do hope Zarg understands though. He was quite impressed with getting a MIT admission. Even if it was addressed wrong.
 

kurupt87

Fuhuhzucking hellcocks I'm good
Mar 17, 2010
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Man Lab? [sub]I thought Top Gear at first, then realised it had nothing to do with cars. Damn you James May, confusing me by appearing in more than one TV programme.[/sub]

Still, farking impressive no doubt. Always pick the engineer for your team. Always!
 

Redlin5_v1legacy

Better Red than Dead
Aug 5, 2009
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I for one look forward to the future generation of super geniuses who will save our planet from aliens.

I expect great things from you Erin. I suppose I will hear about you in the future.
 

vansau

Mortician of Love
May 25, 2010
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Agayek said:
vansau said:
Is she really 16? I followed the links here and saw no mention of her age, just that she's in the class of 2016.
The first article I saw said she was, but you're right, there's no confirmation. I took it out just to be safe.
 

Idlemessiah

Zombie Steve Irwin
Feb 22, 2009
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First Lego, now metal tubes with paper in them. They'll be sending people up there next...
 

Von Strimmer

New member
Apr 17, 2011
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To think that one girl has got an object further than the entire North Korean and possibly Iranian military :p

O/T wish I had the concentration to do this, however I would just get bored and end up inhaling the helium to put on funny voices :(

I to am too stupid :/
 

Qitz

New member
Mar 6, 2011
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vansau said:
a video of how she she launched the tube carrying
Now, if you need me, I'll just be sitting in the corner feeling like a dumb old man.
As well you should :p

Pretty neat way to show MIT what their getting too.