This really did happen
My friend Owen tipped me off to this awesome Science Friday piece on inventive Romanian high schooler, Raul and his successful orbital launch/retrieval of a Lego space shuttle. The clip features not only the ascent of the shuttle but also some wonderful lines from Raul, notably his admission that his space endeavors, private funding, etc have nothing to do with his formal education so much as his own curiosity and usage of the internet.
Also, aren’t we all still waiting for our own eccentric billionaire to invest in our dreams of space travel?