Perlan

Perlan
source
Name	Perlan
Type	Glider
Manufacturer	Airbus
Designer	Perlan Project
First flight	2006
Status	Active
Primary user	Perlan Project
Developed from	DG-505

Perlan. The Perlan is a high-altitude glider designed to soar into the stratosphere by riding mountain waves and the unique polar night jet. Operated by the Perlan Project, a non-profit research initiative, its mission is to explore the edge of space to advance scientific understanding of atmospheric science, climate change, and high-altitude flight. The aircraft holds the absolute world altitude record for gliders, achieving flights above 76,000 feet.

Overview

The Perlan glider is the centerpiece of the Perlan Project, an ambitious endeavor founded by pilots and engineers including Einar Enevoldson and Steve Fossett. Its primary objective is to reach the mesosphere by utilizing naturally occurring atmospheric standing waves generated by mountain ranges like the Andes and reinforced by the polar vortex. Unlike powered aircraft such as the Lockheed U-2 or NASA's ER-2, Perlan achieves extreme altitudes solely through soaring flight, offering a unique, vibration-free platform for scientific instruments. The project has garnered support from major aerospace entities including Airbus, Weather Extreme Ltd., and the United States Air Force.

Design and Development

The aircraft is a heavily modified DG-505 sailplane, extensively engineered to withstand the extreme conditions of the stratosphere. Key modifications include a pressurized cockpit for the two crew members, a specialized life-support system similar to those used in spacecraft, and reinforced wings and fuselage to handle high dynamic pressures and very low temperatures. The design process involved complex computational fluid dynamics simulations and collaboration with experts from NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center and the German Aerospace Center. Its development was significantly advanced following a feasibility study funded by the late adventurer Steve Fossett, proving the concept of using the polar night jet to reach altitudes above 100,000 feet.

Flight Records and Achievements

On September 2, 2018, pilots Jim Payne and Timothy Gardner flew Perlan 2 to an altitude of 76,124 feet (23,203 meters) over El Calafate, Argentina, setting the absolute world altitude record for sustained horizontal flight by a glider. This surpassed the previous record set by the same team in 2017 and eclipsed the long-standing record held by Robert Harris in a Schweizer SGS 1-23. The flight demonstrated the glider's ability to operate in an atmospheric density equivalent to that on Mars. The project aims to ultimately surpass the altitude record for powered aircraft set by the North American X-15 and reach 90,000 feet, exploring flight regimes relevant to future aircraft on Mars.

Scientific Research

The Perlan missions conduct critical atmospheric research in a region of the atmosphere too high for most aircraft and too low for satellites, often called the "ignorosphere." Instrument packages on board have collected valuable data on atmospheric gravity waves, ozone depletion, climate change indicators, and high-altitude radiation. Collaborating institutions, including the University of Colorado Boulder and the National Center for Atmospheric Research, use this data to improve global climate models and understand stratospheric-tropospheric exchange. The flights also provide engineering insights relevant to the design of future high-altitude pseudo-satellites and potential aircraft for the atmosphere of Mars.

See Also

* Stratospheric balloon * Burt Rutan * Scaled Composites * Horten H.IV * List of gliders

Category:Gliders Category:Research aircraft Category:Individual aircraft