A Pollo ’13 (AKA Space Chicken)

When San Francisco creative agency Swirl wanted to cook chicken in space, they first called NASA. Then they called us. Good call, Swirl. Could we launch marinated chicken to over 100,000 feet above the earth, recover it, and deliver it to a taste-testing event for their client Soy Vay? Yes. Yes we could.

We experimented with half a dozen cooking methods (a bunch of handwarmers, for instance!) before settling on a mix of calcium oxide and water to generate the heat required to cook the chicken fully during its 2-hour flight. We developed a styrofoam capsule that replicated a jar of Soy Vay Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce. Tracking and documentation: We designed the rig to accommodate 2 Go-pro cameras as well as two gps locators. Rocket science: We very carefully weighed and tested everything so we could accurately calculate all of our launch requirements. Logistics: We established all of the applicable FAA, state, county, and local rules and regulations. And we met them. Insurance: You can bet we made sure we had the proper insurance in place. Let’s do this thing!

One Saturday in October, in Nashville, Tennessee, we launched our Soy Vay capsule, complete with its payload of 1lb. of raw, marinated chicken. After tracking its flight to space and subsequent touchdown over 50 miles away in a tree at a goat farm, we retrieved the capsule and raced it to Cumberland Park, TN. There we unveiled the perfectly cooked (and, honestly, really tasty) chicken at the event and shared the ensuing feast with the enthusiastic crowd.