{"id":16735,"date":"2014-10-27T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-10-27T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/skydivemag.com\/new\/?p=16735"},"modified":"2023-09-12T13:24:28","modified_gmt":"2023-09-12T13:24:28","slug":"2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/","title":{"rendered":"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alan Eustace recently made the highest skydive ever, from 135,000 feet, breaking records set by Felix Baumgarter and Joe Kittinger. Despite how it\u2019s been portrayed by the media, the aim of Alan\u2019s jump was not personal fame or a high altitude jolly. This was a scientific project, <a href=\"http:\/\/paragonsdc.com\/stratex\/\">StratEx<\/a> (Stratosphere Explorer), which aimed to create a spacesuit and system that would allow us to explore the stratosphere.<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alan commented, <em>\u201cI always wondered \u2013 what if you could design a system that would allow humans to explore the stratosphere as easily and safely as they do the ocean.\u201d<\/em> Well, now Alan made his concept a reality, by taking a 3-year sabbatical from Vice-President at Google, and working with a team of scientists from ten companies at the leading edge of technology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/48f52086-0008-4f2e-bdf9-3f9073b34728.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Adventure<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The beauty of Alan\u2019s concept was its simplicity. Rather than spending millions on a pressurised space capsule, plus a spacesuit, plus the technology to leave the capsule, he simply ascended in the spacesuit, dangling from a helium-filled balloon, releasing when he was ready to come back to earth. The entire flight was completed in less than 4 hours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/56ea5f76-f828-42d9-99be-98d49fbc81f0.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Prior to the flight the equipment was readied and extensive safety tests carried out, while Alan pre-breathed oxygen for 4 hours, to remove the nitrogen from his body. Once Mission Control was happy with the weather conditions and the systems tests, Alan was attached to an instrument module under the balloon and launched. He climbed at a respectable 1,000 feet a minute initially, and took about 2 and a half hours to rise to over 135,000 feet. Here there is only 0.2% of the earth\u2019s atmosphere. Alan then spent half an hour floating in the stratosphere, that must surely be incredible, almost life-changing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/613e78d3-7685-47f9-8721-6b50b8e0e61d.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When he was ready, Alan released from the balloon and went into freefall in the thin air. Unlike Felix, he was stabilized by a drogue chute, and therefore avoided spinning, only making a couple of backloops before falling stable, belly to earth. Accelerating to more than the speed of sound after 90 seconds, he then gradually slowed down as the atmosphere became thicker, finally opening his PD canopy at around 15,000 feet. It then took Alan about 15 minutes to fly back to earth, under his tandem-sized ram-air, carrying the extra weight of the spacesuit. Despite test flights on this canopy and being an experienced skydiver, Alan didn\u2019t stand up the landing due to the huge weight on his stomach, but was unhurt, triumphant and jubilant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/b56e4ea8-be79-4e6b-b039-5ec4b664b4c3.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Spacesuit<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If unprotected in the stratosphere, a human being could not breathe and his blood would boil. Designed by <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ilcdover.com\">ILC Dover<\/a>, the spacesuit used was similar to those used for Apollo but had to operate at a higher pressure, of 5.4psid. It had to allow Alan sufficient mobility to operate systems, stay in control in freefall, and pilot the canopy all the way to the landing. Heat was a problem, and therefore he minimised his movements as there was no cooling system. Before the big day Alan flew his spacesuit in wind tunnels, jumping from aircraft and from balloons, while still in the earth\u2019s atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/d99bcb99-81c8-45cb-9509-afc73b5c08a7.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Balloon<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The balloon stood almost 400 feet high at launch and initially contained 30,000 cubic feet of helium. It expanded to 11 million cubic feet on rising to the stratosphere, as the outside pressure decreased. A special launch system was developed to hold the base of the balloon while it was inflated, pressure measured, strength tested, and the pilot attached.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>I can see the curvature of the Earth and the darkness of Space and it\u2019s awe-inspiring<\/p><cite>Alan Eustace<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/dedf2985-19ce-43b6-9a1b-5e7121a768e9.jpeg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Technology<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/paragonsdc.com\">Paragon Space Development Corporation<\/a> designs and provides complete life support systems for extreme adventurers, including astronauts and hazardous water divers. Their ultra-advanced technology thermal control and life support systems are used by such clients as NASA and the International Space Station. Paragon worked with Alan to design the life support system, manage development and run operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/worldviewexperience.com\">World View<\/a> is an ultra high altitude balloon company, whose aim is to provide voyagers with flights at 100,000 feet, suspended in a capsule below a balloon. A multitude of other organizations were involved, including <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ilcdover.com\">ILC Dover<\/a> who designed the spacesuit, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.adeaerospace.net\">ADE Aerospace Consulting<\/a> who provided the medical team and training programme, plus the combined forces of <a href=\"http:\/\/unitedparachutetechnologies.com\">United Parachute Technologies<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.PerformanceDesigns.com\">Performance Designs<\/a> and <a href=\"http:\/\/www.vigil.aero\">Vigil<\/a> for the skydiving equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/ae85fdee-85e8-46a7-abb7-a3cf86d2d555.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Future<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Alan and his team have proved that it is possible to explore the stratosphere above 100,000 feet in a comparatively simple self-contained suit and recovery system. This is a leap in itself for humankind, and it will be interesting to see where this stepping stone leads.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The StratEx system could be used with an aircraft rather than with a balloon. Our knowledge of the stratosphere is limited but now we have the opportunity to study it at leisure. This technology could be applied for astronauts to exit their spacecraft, or for suits for wearing in high altitude aircraft. StratEx gives the chance to study body dynamics at Mach 1, and will surely be used to set balloon, space diving and sailplaning records. The sky used to be the limit \u2013 now, it\u2019s the edge of space!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/d7268194-41f8-4a5e-b5bc-9cd5e45833fa.jpg\" alt=\"\"\/><figcaption>Alan Eustace<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-pullquote\"><blockquote><p>\u201cExploration is the pinnacle of the human experience<\/p><cite>Alan Eustace<\/cite><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>For more information see <a href=\"http:\/\/paragonsdc.com\/stratex\/\">StratEx website<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Photos used by kind permission of <a href=\"http:\/\/paragonsdc.com\">Paragon Space Development Corporation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"http:\/\/vimeo.com\/109961386\">StratEx Record Setting Space Dive summary<\/a><br><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/098769a6-c388-404d-abe3-767a5da7a394.jpg\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Alan Eustace recently made the highest skydive ever, from 135,000 feet, breaking records set by Felix Baumgarter and Joe Kittinger. Despite how it\u2019s been portrayed by the media, the aim of Alan\u2019s jump was not personal fame or a high altitude jolly. This was a scientific project, StratEx (Stratosphere Explorer), which aimed to create a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sfsi_plus_gutenberg_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_show_text_before_share":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_type":"","sfsi_plus_gutenberg_icon_alignemt":"","sfsi_plus_gutenburg_max_per_row":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16735","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-experienced-skydiver-parachutist","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v28.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer - Skydivemag<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Alan Eustace recently made the highest skydive ever, from 135,000 feet, breaking records set by Felix Baumgarter and Joe Kittinger. Despite how it\u2019s been portrayed by the media, the aim of Alan\u2019s jump was not personal fame or a high altitude jolly. This was a scientific project, StratEx (Stratosphere Explorer), which aimed to create a [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Skydivemag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SkydiveMag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:author\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lesley.gale.942\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-10-27T00:00:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-09-12T13:24:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Lesley Gale\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@skydivemag\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Lesley Gale\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Lesley Gale\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ebfbf587dc5d927ad83e8347054c7d3c\"},\"headline\":\"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-10-27T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-12T13:24:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":890,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/\\\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Experienced Skydiver\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/\",\"name\":\"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer - Skydivemag\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/\\\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2014-10-27T00:00:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-09-12T13:24:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/\\\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/02\\\/\\\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/\",\"name\":\"Skydive Mag\",\"description\":\"Skydiving and BASE jumping information\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Skydive Mag Limited\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/Skydive-Mag-Logo-white-long.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2024\\\/05\\\/Skydive-Mag-Logo-white-long.png\",\"width\":1121,\"height\":148,\"caption\":\"Skydive Mag Limited\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/SkydiveMag\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.instagram.com\\\/skydivemag\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/ebfbf587dc5d927ad83e8347054c7d3c\",\"name\":\"Lesley Gale\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/1270136_10152601937496808_2123361469_o-150x150.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/1270136_10152601937496808_2123361469_o-150x150.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2019\\\/03\\\/1270136_10152601937496808_2123361469_o-150x150.jpg\",\"caption\":\"Lesley Gale\"},\"description\":\"Lesley has been in love with skydiving for 35 years. She is a multiple world and national record holder and a coach on 20 successful record events worldwide. She has over 100 competition medals spanning more than 25 years and has been on the British 8-way National team at World events. She started Skydive Mag to spread knowledge, information and passion about our amazing sport. Lesley is delighted to be sponsored by Performance Designs, Sun Path, Cypres, Cookie, Symbiosis suits and Larsen &amp; Brusgaard\",\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/skydivemag.com\\\/new\",\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/lesley.gale.942\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/skydivemag\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.skydivemag.com\\\/new\\\/author\\\/lesley\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer - Skydivemag","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer","og_description":"Alan Eustace recently made the highest skydive ever, from 135,000 feet, breaking records set by Felix Baumgarter and Joe Kittinger. Despite how it\u2019s been portrayed by the media, the aim of Alan\u2019s jump was not personal fame or a high altitude jolly. This was a scientific project, StratEx (Stratosphere Explorer), which aimed to create a [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/","og_site_name":"Skydivemag","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SkydiveMag","article_author":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lesley.gale.942","article_published_time":"2014-10-27T00:00:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-09-12T13:24:28+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg","type":"","width":"","height":""}],"author":"Lesley Gale","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@skydivemag","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Lesley Gale","Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/"},"author":{"name":"Lesley Gale","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/#\/schema\/person\/ebfbf587dc5d927ad83e8347054c7d3c"},"headline":"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer","datePublished":"2014-10-27T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-12T13:24:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/"},"wordCount":890,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg","articleSection":["Experienced Skydiver"],"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/","url":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/","name":"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer - Skydivemag","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg","datePublished":"2014-10-27T00:00:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-09-12T13:24:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/\/5efa0da8-ace8-48c9-88a2-e113a2e3fda5.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/2014-10-27-alan-eustace-stratosphere-explorer\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Alan Eustace \u2013 Stratosphere Explorer"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/","name":"Skydive Mag","description":"Skydiving and BASE jumping information","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/#organization","name":"Skydive Mag Limited","url":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Skydive-Mag-Logo-white-long.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Skydive-Mag-Logo-white-long.png","width":1121,"height":148,"caption":"Skydive Mag Limited"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SkydiveMag","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/skydivemag"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/#\/schema\/person\/ebfbf587dc5d927ad83e8347054c7d3c","name":"Lesley Gale","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1270136_10152601937496808_2123361469_o-150x150.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1270136_10152601937496808_2123361469_o-150x150.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/03\/1270136_10152601937496808_2123361469_o-150x150.jpg","caption":"Lesley Gale"},"description":"Lesley has been in love with skydiving for 35 years. She is a multiple world and national record holder and a coach on 20 successful record events worldwide. She has over 100 competition medals spanning more than 25 years and has been on the British 8-way National team at World events. She started Skydive Mag to spread knowledge, information and passion about our amazing sport. Lesley is delighted to be sponsored by Performance Designs, Sun Path, Cypres, Cookie, Symbiosis suits and Larsen &amp; Brusgaard","sameAs":["http:\/\/skydivemag.com\/new","https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/lesley.gale.942","https:\/\/x.com\/skydivemag"],"url":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/author\/lesley\/"}]}},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":false,"thumbnail":false,"medium":false,"medium_large":false,"large":false,"1536x1536":false,"2048x2048":false,"homepage-slider":false,"single-post-picker":false},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Lesley Gale","author_link":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/author\/lesley\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Alan Eustace recently made the highest skydive ever, from 135,000 feet, breaking records set by Felix Baumgarter and Joe Kittinger. Despite how it\u2019s been portrayed by the media, the aim of Alan\u2019s jump was not personal fame or a high altitude jolly. This was a scientific project, StratEx (Stratosphere Explorer), which aimed to create a&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16735","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16735"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16735\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":46628,"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16735\/revisions\/46628"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16735"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16735"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.skydivemag.com\/new\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16735"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}