Space - the final frontier...for bats and high-school kids

picture of the stratosphere taken with a high school extra credit DIY project (source from the article)

So with the news that 4 Spanish high-school kids with the help of their teacher and a budget of less than £100, made a DIY weather balloon-camera contraption that successfully took pictures of the stratosphere, I will firmly state that:
a: My high-school education was lacking in certain areas
b: It's entirely possible the sovereign state of Iran has been able to launch satellites

Also, the US Space program seems to have their own fare share of troubles, what with all the bats attempting to get space-borne.

close up of a bat clinging to the orange foam of the main shuttle rocket booster at launch March 15, 2009

For the animal lovers out there hoping for a happy space-faring ending:

Flight director Paul Dye said no one has seen the bat since. "I heard that it was clinging to the tank at liftoff, but I don't think anyone has seen it since," he said.