Above, a Portuguese man launched a miniature rooster -- a national symbol of honor -- high above the Earth. (Marco Neiva)
OK, it wasn't a real rooster, and it didn't flap its wings to get there, but this bird took one wild, high-flying ride high up into the Earth's atmosphere last month. It didn't quite make it into space, but it had a pretty spectacular view.
Marco Neiva rigged up a weather balloon that had a platform for the rooster, along with a camera that captured every moment of the journey. (He also got passers-by to write messages on slips of paper that he launched along with his bird.)
A potent symbol of national pride in Portugal is the Galo de Barcelos (Rooster of Barcelos), represented by vividly painted wooden figurines. The rooster stands for integrity and honor, and can be spotted all over the country, according to Mashable. It dates back to a 17th-century folk tale in which a rooster saved the life of a wrongly accused man.
This high-altitude rooster was clearly no chicken.
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