New glider altitude record set - 62,000 feet!

[smithcorp]

Perlan II is a pressurised glider project that's been trying to set new records for gliding in atmospheric wave (incredibly powerful and smooth lift created by air being deflected over mountains). The glider got towed to 42,000 feet then used wave to climb to the edge of space.

An important element is passing the Armstrong Line, which is the part of the atmosphere where your blood would boil if you weren't in a pressurised space. Amazing achievement.

https://www.airbus.com/newsroom/press-r ... -seco.html

[Cursed]

I had to look up this Armstrong Line/Limit. It seems rather dramatic:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_limit

So the blood in your system wouldn't boil, but uncontained bodily fluids would. It's a bit hypothetical really, given that you'd go hypoxic before that became a problem anyway.

[smithcorp]

Perlan II has cracked 75,000 feet - that's higher than the U-2!

Video here:

[Sarsippius]

That's pretty crazy, my first thought is wondering how well they can manoeuvre when the atmosphere becomes so thin and at what point they risk going into orbit and not being able to come back down.

[Cursed]

That's pretty crazy, my first thought is wondering how well they can manoeuvre when the atmosphere becomes so thin and at what point they risk going into orbit and not being able to come back down.

Consider that the ISS at its altitude still gets friction from the atmosphere and requires periodic boosts to its velocity to keep up there. The ISS is at over 400km altitude (1.3 million feet)