Altitude record!

Touching the Edge of Space: Our Obsession with Altitude Records

We humans, we’re a curious bunch. Always looking up, always wondering what’s over that next hill… or, in this case, past that next layer of atmosphere. That fascination with the sky has fueled some seriously impressive feats of engineering and sheer guts. Think about it: from those first tentative balloon flights to rocket planes that practically kiss the stars, chasing altitude records has always been about pushing the envelope. Let’s take a look at some of the coolest milestones in this ongoing skyward saga.

Balloons: The OG High-Flyers

Believe it or not, balloons were the kings of the altitude game for a long time. Back in 1803, some daredevils floated up to 7,280 meters in a hot air balloon. Can you imagine how wild that must have felt? As tech got better, so did the heights. In 1935, a couple of brave captains, O.A. Anderson and A.W. Stevens, squeezed into the Explorer II gondola and cruised to 22,066 meters! And it wasn’t just manned balloons. An uncrewed Winzen balloon went all the way up to 51.8 km in 1972. Then, in 2013, JAXA sent one even higher, reaching 53.7 km. Seriously impressive stuff.

Planes Take Flight: Leaving Balloons in the Dust

Of course, once we figured out airplanes, the altitude game changed forever. Early on, it was a back-and-forth between propeller planes and balloons for the record. But then, in 1938, Mario Pezzi hopped into a Caproni Ca.161 and soared to 17,083 meters. Not bad! But the real game-changer was the jet engine. Suddenly, planes could climb like never before. In 1977, Alexandr Fedotov, piloting a modified MiG-25 ‘Foxbat’ (that’s one cool name!), hit a staggering 37,650 meters. That’s still the official record for a ground-launched airplane, according to the FAI. Apparently, he basically pointed the thing straight up!

Oh, and let’s not forget the NASA Helios, that crazy-looking solar-powered plane. It reached almost 30,000 meters back in 2001. Pretty wild for something powered by sunshine, right?

Rocket Planes: Now We’re Talking!

Now, if you want to really reach for the stars, you need a rocket plane. These things are on a whole different level. In 1963, Joseph A. Walker strapped himself into the North American X-15 and flew to a mind-blowing 107,900 meters. That’s the highest any airplane has ever gone! Some X-15 pilots even earned astronaut wings for their high-altitude flights. Then, in 2004, Brian Binnie took the Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne to 112,014 meters. Seriously, these guys were practically astronauts.

Humans as Projectiles: When Gravity Isn’t Enough

But it’s not just about machines, right? Sometimes, you just gotta jump. In 2012, Felix Baumgartner took a helium balloon up to almost 39,000 meters and jumped. He broke the sound barrier in freefall! Talk about a rush. He set records for exit altitude, freefall distance, and speed. Alan Eustace later one-upped him on the exit altitude, but Baumgartner’s jump was legendary.

It’s with great sadness that I must add that Felix Baumgartner, the very man who redefined the limits of human flight, passed away in a paragliding accident in July 2025. His legacy of daring and innovation will continue to inspire generations.

Other Ways to Get High

Of course, there are plenty of other ways to get your altitude fix. Gliders have soared to incredible heights, with Robert Harris hitting almost 15 km in 1986, and the Perlan 2 reaching over 23 km in 2018. There are even records for gyroplanes (Donatella Ricci, 8,399 meters in 2015) and paramotors (Ramón Morillas and Carlos Peña, 7,186m in 2023). And who knew a helicopter could reach over 8,000 meters? (YOH-6A, 1966).

The Ultimate High: Apollo 13

But if you want to talk about the ultimate altitude record, you have to mention Apollo 13. Those guys went through hell, but their trajectory took them a staggering 400,041 km from Earth. That’s the farthest any human has ever been from home, and it’s a record that still stands.

The Sky’s the Limit (Or Is It?)

So, there you have it: a quick look at our ongoing quest to touch the edge of space. It’s a story of bravery, innovation, and a whole lot of looking up. And who knows what the future holds? Maybe we’ll have personal rocket packs someday. Or maybe we’ll build an elevator to space. One thing’s for sure: we’ll never stop reaching for the sky.