Glider Pilot Aims for the Edge of Space

A research company is hoping to break several aviation world records and be the first to have an air glider reach the edge of space without a jet engine or rockets. Known as the ‘Perlan Project 2,’ the air glider will try to reach an altitude of 90,000 feet, which would put it 17 miles above the Earth. The aircraft will be towed up to 10,000 feet and will then try to catch a “mountain wave” off the Andes mountains in Argentina that will give it a burst skyward. Researchers hope to use data collected during the flight to study the Earth’s atmosphere and ozone layer.