Airbus became a sponsor of the Perlan Project Organisation in 2014. Since the project has developed you could soon be travelling to you to the edge of space! It has come a long way since the first flight in September 2015.
Last month the Perlan Glider reached 26,000 ft and remained airborne for a staggering five hours. The glider has since returned to North America as the winter draws in. Testing will start again and hopefully go down in the history books, by finally reaching the grand 90,000ft. Although until November it is being stored and display at the Seattle Museum of Flight.
They plan to be the first to take a manned glider to explore the edge of space. In order to reach 90,000 ft, specialist wings had to be engineered to fly in 3% of the normal air density and at a chilly minus 70°C. This is condition equivalent to Mars!
Weighing 1,800 pounds and with a massive 84ft wingspan, this glider is beyond large. As many will know gliders don’t have engines, so the team will have to ride stratospheric mountain waves to excel to the optimal altitude and generate speeds greater than 400mph. The Perlan glider has been engineered to withstand the sudden drop in air pressure.
The aspiration is to exceed 100,000 ft and examine the Northern Hemisphere polar vortex. Many researchers want to know more about our planet. However in order to do this the Perlan glider will need new transonic wings to deal with the external elements.
Perlan Project is not the only glider team to attempt a world record. The Solar Impulse 2 Team broke the record by gliding across the entire globe. They also recently glided at 28,000ft. So the race is on, who will make it first?
Just think these teams are showing us what can really be done without an engine. Before long researchers will be conducting glider missions. And one day commercially you could be travelling to the edge of space in a glider.
We just hope that the optimal conditions arise for this record attempt to really happen!
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