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View Full Version : Polar vortex - can it be done?


tartare
14th Dec 2009, 21:47
Discussion about the recent crop of ultra long distance glider flights got me thinking.
Am I right that before he died, Steve Fossett's aim was to take off in his glider from Otago, climb to approx FL70 and then transition to the polar jetstream vortex between 70,000 and 100,000 feet - from which he could circumnavigate Antarctica?
Can those with greater knowledge of very high altitude flight enlighten me... is this possible?

compressor stall
15th Dec 2009, 10:49
There are a number of balloons that have been launched over Antarctica that have stayed up for a number of weeks.

TIGER - NASA's Trans-Iron Galactic Element Recorder (http://tiger.gsfc.nasa.gov/)

And there are many more. There were several last summer.