Mining Bitcoin From 21 Miles Above the Earth

Bitcoin is reaching for the stars, literally! Though the most popular cryptocurrency has had its fair share of extreme highs and lows in terms of its valuation in recent times, a promotional activity by a Bitcoin mining firm called Miner One successfully managed to place a bitcoin mining rig at an altitude of more than 35,000 meters (almost 22 miles) and perform the mining activity. (See also: How Does Bitcoin Mining Work?)

The launch was made using a hydrogen balloon, and the target of 35,000 meters was purposely selected to match Miner One’s earlier prediction that the cryptocurrency will hit a valuation of $35,000 this year.

Dubbed as the Space Miner One, the specially built balloon and capsule assembly contained a specially-adapted application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) capable of performing the necessary data processing for mining bitcoin at the designated height. The ASIC was accompanied by a Raspberry Pi 3 microcomputer, a battery for the necessary…