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Published online 16 July 2008 | Nature 454, 270-273 (2008) | doi:10.1038/454270a

News Feature

Space science: From the desert to the edge of space

Not all NASA launches need rockets and countdowns. Eric Hand sees the alternative in Fort Sumner, New Mexico.

Eric Hand

On the day of the launch Mark Cobble arrives well before dawn. Lightning studs the sky on the horizon; halogen spotlights bathe the three-story NASA hangar in light.

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  • Hi, there's a mistake in your figure "Up, up, and away". The balloon starts rising through the "troposphere" before reaching the "stratosphere". The "mesosphere" mentioned in the figure is an atmospheric layer above the stratosphere between 50 and 90 km. The mesosphere is (not yet) accessible for balloons since the atmospheric density at these heights is too low to deliver enough lift for a balloon. A. Schöch

    • 17 Jul, 2008
    • Posted by: Armin Schöch