The Perlan Project Announces Their Partnership With Airbus Group To Finance The Project To Finish

The Perlan project is a non-for-profit research company studying atmospheric conditions utilizing a sailplane designed to fly at extremely high altitudes. They have joined with the Airbus group on  financing and technical support. The objective is to continue the research that was started by Steve Fossett and his crew, who set a previous world record of 51,000 feet, by exploring the very upper level weather patterns at 90,000 feet above the surface of the earth.

CEO of the Perlan group, Ed Warnock explained that the three prong objective of the project are aeronautical Exploration by pushing the frontiers of flight by soaring near space Meteorological Research by investigating the impact of stratospheric waves on global weather patterns, and atmospheric chemistry and Educate and inspire the next generation of explorer to pursue careers in math, science and research.

The final objective is to reach, by exploring, locating and flying in mountain waves which will carry the specially built sailplane into the Polar Vortex waves, a kind of Whitewater effect, altitudes of 90,000 feet.

The sailplane is designed with a pressurized cabin which will maintain the cabin pressure at 8.2 psi while keeping a comfortable 15,000 feet cabin altitude allowing the pilots to wear no oxygen if they desire. At altitudes of 90,000 feet, according to Einar Enevoldson, founder and chairman of the board of Perlan Missions, without pressurization or in case of a depressurization the human body would swell to over twice it's size and death would follow soon afterwards. That is why he stressed the importance of building the shell to a fail proof mode. The aircraft will carry 100 cubic feet of make up air to keep the quality of the air in the cockpit at suitable percentages and humidity.

The sailplane will be towed to 12,000 feet to eliminate the extra two hours it would take to climb through the primary wave, and the first test flight will start in the summer of 2016 over the Sierra Nevadas.  After the initial testing,, flights will move to the Patagonia region where the big waves can be found.

(Staff images)

FMI: www.perlanproject.org