Balloon 400 meters high to the stratosphere

2002/07/10 Elhuyar Zientzia

• Astronautika

Two British pilots want to climb on a balloon to the stratosphere 40 km from Earth. In this way it is intended to overcome the existing record.

The balloon will have a height of 400 meters and will be made of very fine and resistant polyethylene, suitable to withstand the harsh stratospheric conditions. In addition, being the discovered passenger boat, the pilots will need special suits. These are costumes similar to those used by astronauts on space walks, since at that height the approximate temperatures of -73º C and the lack of oxygen are common.

It will be a 12 hour trip. They will leave the southwest coast of Great Britain, near Cornwall, and after three hours of ascent they will have another six hours to be in the stratosphere.

While they remain in the stratosphere, they will be able to detect the curvature of the Earth and intend to take thousands of photos and film videos. In addition, they will take useful data on the temperature, pressure and radiations of that height.