Former NASA engineer dropped two chicken eggs "from space" - they fell to Earth, but didn't break

Engineer Mark Rober worked for three years on the project, the crowning achievement of which was the dropping of two chicken eggs from a height of 30 km.

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Mark Rober worked for nine years as an engineer for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). For seven years he was involved in the Curiosity Martian rover project.

After leaving the space agency, Robert decided to pursue his own project. Its essence was to lift two chicken eggs to a high altitude and bring them back safe and sound.

The engineer designed a rocket that would be launched to a high altitude by a weather balloon. The rocket should then begin to fly toward the surface and release the eggs at an altitude of about 100 meters. It is estimated that if the final velocity of the egg is 120 km/h, it will survive contact with the soft surface.

Marc Robert conducted three tests, each of which successfully failed. As a result, the engineer enlisted the help of other NASA specialists. One of them recommended that the enthusiast completely change the rocket and conduct experiments in the desert, so as not to have problems with the law.

As a result, the "spacecraft" was able to reach a speed of Mach 2 (2470 km/h). A mechanical protection was developed for one egg, as in the Mars rovers Opportunity and Spirit. In addition, it received a heat shield to prevent freezing. The second egg was decided to put in an inflatable ball.

It was only possible to lift the rocket up to 30 km due to a malfunction. When falling, the eggs reached a speed of 240 km/h, i.e. twice the estimated speed. But despite the fact that not everything went according to plan, both eggs remained intact.

Source: Mark Rober