A group called The Perlan Project plans to launch a glider to 90,000 feet in July 2012, riding lift generated by the southern polar vortex and the Andes Mountains. The group currently holds the altitude record for sailplanes, set in 2006 by Einar Enevoldson and the late Steve Fossett, at 50,671 feet. For the new effort, Greg Cole, of Windward Performance, is designing an all-new carbon-fiber two-seat aircraft with an 84-foot wingspan, now under construction in Bend, Ore. Ed Warnock, CEO of the Perlan Project, said at EAA AirVenture this week that the project is well-funded and proceeding on schedule.
Among those participating and contributing support is Dennis Tito, who became the first paying space tourist when he traveled to the International Space Station in 2001.
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