The new Perlan 2 Glider completed its first ever test flight this Wednesday in Redmond, Oregon. The tiny aircraft, though engineless, is designed to reach the edge of space by surfing the air currents of the Polar Vortex.
This first flight jumpstarts a project to complete a mission to sail 90,000 feet above the Earth, which will make it the highest-flying winged aircraft in history. The current world record was set in 1976 and is held by the SR-17 BLackbird, which reached a height of 85,069 feet; another aircraft, the evasive U-2 spy plane, also soared to similar heights, reaching a little over 70,000 feet.
Gliding on the Edge of the Earth: Is reaching these heights possible?
Despite being engineless, the Perlan Glider can travel up to speeds of 400 mph thanks to the Polar Vortex, where mountain waves are found to run through the troposphere to the stratosphere.
The Perlan Glider 2, with a wingspan of 84 feet, is about the length and width of one engine of a commercial airplane. The plane can house two pilots and not much else, aside from some science equipment. As such, there’s no intention for the Glider to be used for commercial flying, since the aircraft is already very sensitive to weather conditions and air currents.
The ultimate goal of the Perlan Glider is to aid scientists and researchers in gaining a better understanding of modern climate science. The craft will accomplish this by looking down on earth from 90,000 feet in the air. This altitude will allow the aircraft to have distinctive access to research on global climate change and shifts in the Earth’s ozone layer.
Ed Warnock, chief executive of the Perlan Project, states that the success of the first test flight moves the project forward in a great direction. It marks a significant breakthrough, one that will allow for the winged exploration of the edge of the planet. Moreover, it will make way for new discoveries in the fields of meteorology, climate change and ozone depletion.
The Next Step for Perlan Glider Team
Throughout next year, the Perlan Team will schedule a number of additional practice rounds in preparation for the big surf at 90,000 feet over Patagonia in 2016. Beyond that, the project plans to raise the bar even higher, sending the Perlan Glider 2 soaring 100,000 feet over the surface of the Earth to explore the Polar Vortex.
