Pretty cool. Airliners fly at 40,000 feet. The U2 can get up to 70,000 feet. This balloon was at 60,000 feet. Balloons can get higher. Remember Felix, the balloon jumper? That was from 127,000 feet.
I'm reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer about the 1996 Mt. Everest climbing disaster. Mt. Everest is 29,000 feet tall. Base camp, starting point for most every climging expedition, is at 15,000 feet. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) requires pilots to have supplemental oxygen if they are flying over 12,000 feet. I've been up to around 10,000 feet while hiking and I got to tell you there's no air up there.
Via My Daily Kona
P.S. Neil deGrasse Tyson tells us that the tallest mountain, measured from the EarthÅ› center is not Mt. Everest, but Mt. Chimborazo in South America:
Neil deGrasse Tyson - the tallest mountain relative to Earth's center
It's not rocket science
Tallest Mountains in South America |
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