This video combines science, R2-D2, technology, beautiful sweeping shots of the earth and the sky, precocious children, a cat, and yet those aren’t even close to being the best part. Everything about this video is magic.

There are two stories here. The first is that two young sisters—Kimberly and Rebecca Yeung of Seattle—built a homemade spacecraft and sent it 78,000 feet in the air using wood and some old arrow shafts to build their aircraft. Then they filled a weather balloon with helium, attached some GoPro cameras, computer-tracking devices to capture data about the trip, and sent it into the sky. Oh, and they also sent a LEGO R2-D2 and a picture of their cat Loki along for the ride. (That’s where they got the name for their craft, the Loki Lego Launcher.)

The girls narrate the story of their quest, from building to launch, and explain the science behind the flight. The details and care they put into all of it are beyond impressive.

The second story here has nothing to do with the science though. The images captured have a surprising and inspiring tranquility to them. The two “passengers” perfectly encapsulate the sincerity of the entire project—that of two kids exploring, creating something from a place of curiosity without pretense. The shots of their little craft with R2-D2 and their cat against the edge of space should be funny, but instead it’s just serene, graceful, and innocent. It has a quiet beauty that doesn’t seem possible.

These two sisters set out to make something fun and exciting, and they certainly accomplished that. What they might not know is that they also created something beautiful that can’t quite be quantified by data. They created magic.

What was your reaction to this wonderful video? Share them in the comments before.

HT: GeekWire.com