One Year Since US Glider Pilots Payne and Gardner Reached the Record Altitude of 76,000 Feet

One year ago on Sep. 2, 2018, the Perlan 2 soared into the record books by reaching 76,000 feet, the highest altitude ever reached by a glider.

The flight took place in El Calafate, Patagonia in Argentina, and was the third time in just a few days that the glider flew above the altitude of its own previous world record, set in 2017.

The Perlan Project’s aim is to reach the edge of space at 90,000 feet in this purpose-built pressurized glider, by using stratospheric mountain waves, which are particularly strong in Patagonia.

To fly above the Armstrong Line – the point at which human blood would boil unless protected – the  crew uses a specially designed closed-loop rebreather system, in which the only oxygen used is what the crew metabolizes. The aircraft’s wings designed to be able to fly in less than 3 percent of normal air density and at temperatures of minus 70 degrees C, conditions approximating the surface of Mars.

With hopes of beating 2018’s record, the Airbus Perlan Mission II team and the Perlan 2 glider are currently in El Calafate, making preparations for 2019’s flights.