Ballooning into Space 5 comments

9 Nov 2001 @ 03:54, by Flemming Funch Some adventurous people are planning to fly in a balloon 132,000 feet into space next summer. Sitting in spacesuits in open air armchairs hanging under the balloon. Up where its pitch black and you can see whole countries in one look. See here: [link] "YouÂ’re out in the openÂ… In a place where the sky is inky blackÂ… ThereÂ’s no air to breatheÂ… The pressure is 150 times less than at sea levelÂ… ItÂ’s minus 100 degrees FahrenheitÂ… And the view is nothing short of sensational. In the summer of 2002 Andy Elson and Colin Prescot will travel to the outer limits of the EarthÂ’s atmosphere in QinetiQ 1. From their open gondola they will be able to look up to the biggest manned balloon in history. Looking down theyÂ’ll see stretching beneath them a sight only a few brave souls will ever experience - a 650,000 square mile panorama of the earth. You canÂ’t imagine what itÂ’s like to see your world from 132,000 feet. But on this website you don't have to. Here, you can share the experience from the build up over the next few months to launch itself. "

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