Tim Devereaux, 9, To Send Marshmallow Peep Soaring At 90,000 Feet For Charity (VIDEO)

We've made such strides as sending robots to space and even Tweeting from the International Space Station. Now, an Arizona student will send a Peep -- those everlasting marshmallow treats -- into the upper atmosphere.

As part of his science project and as a way to raise money for charity, 9-year-old Tim Devereaux will send a Styrofoam container holding the Peep, a GPS tracker, Smartphone and camera into the stratosphere, KGO reports.

Devereaux, a fourth-grade student at Laguna Elementary School in Scottsdale, Ariz., wants to see if the low pressure will make the infamously indestructible treat expand.

The Peep, which purportedly has a shelf life of two years, will be attached to the outside of the container that has a hole for a camera to shoot pictures through every five seconds. Inside the container, Devereaux even placed a foil coffee can lid to act as a radar deflector, he tells KPHO.

"We have this metal disk so that the planes can not run into it."

The Styrofoam cooler will be attached to a helium-filled water balloon. After reaching 90,000 feet, the balloon will burst and deploy a parachute, easing the apparatus back to Earth, according to KPHO.

Devereaux is using the project to raise money for the Ryan House in Phoenix, which supports children with life-threatening conditions and their families. He's selling "seats" onboard the cooler. For $5, he'll put your photo inside the cooler, but for $25, he'll put your photo on the bottom, KPHO reports.

"That's the VIP."

He's calling his project NAFA, the National Aeronautics Face Administration.

WATCH:

Help the children and families supported by the Ryan House, Devereaux's cause, by clicking below.

Comments

[Nafatim]

04:32 PM on 04/19/2011

Hello Everyone. Thanks for your interest in my project. Everything went as planned. We launched and recovered the Facecraft. We have some amazing photos of the whole flight. I proved my hypothesis. And we raised about $2,000 for Ryan House. Check out more details and photos at www.nafatim.org/NAFA1. Thanks Tim

[Lisa Pelto]

01:17 PM on 04/15/2011

Good luck tomorrow Tim! We are excited to be riding along with you. King Louie, ruler of the Marshmallow Kingdom is piloting the facecraft and we are thrilled!!!! See more about King Louie at www.marshmallowkingdom.com. Thanks for all you are doing Tim!

[Peaceride]

08:09 PM on 04/14/2011

This is cute. I love seeing kids being inventive and creative and so self-assured! Makes me smile :) I hope this experiment turns out well for him!! Good luck Tim and Mr./Ms. Peep!

[Natasha Renee]

04:14 PM on 04/14/2011

This is great. I wish more kids could get involved w/ stuff like this. Could be quite educational. Sadly US schools aren't allowed to do anything but warehouse & test these days.

[TAP1]

02:23 AM on 04/14/2011

God's speed John Peep.

[TAP1]

01:28 AM on 04/14/2011

One small step for peep, one giant leep for peepkind. Why isn't this in the front page/big news section?

[Brian Crosby]

12:10 AM on 04/14/2011

Peeps in space! Will be interesting to see what happens!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ygpYWzKGN6c

[richnerd]

09:11 PM on 04/13/2011

That Peep is going to swell to 5 times its size because of the drop in pressure....causing the air trapped in the marshmallow to expand. The Peep becomes the Hulk.

[Tperl]

03:14 PM on 04/14/2011

Still tasty no matter the size.