Time for #SundaySpace!
🌍 90 years ago, On September 5th, 1934, Wiley Post became the first person to reach the stratosphere.
✈ It was a remarkable feat that pushed the limits of aviation at the time. The most significant challenge Post faced was the thin air and low pressure at high altitudes. That was beacuse, planes weren't built to handle those conditions, and no technology allowed pilots to survive such heights.
👨🚀 To solve this, Post worked with Russell S. Colley from B.F. #Goodrich to create a pressure suit that would protect him in the harsh environment. The suit was far from the sleek designs we know today—it was made of rubber, metal, and leather and had a glass faceplate. Though bulky and uncomfortable, it allowed him to breathe and move in an environment where humans couldn't survive without help.
🛫 Post didn't stop there. He knew that in order to reach the stratosphere, his Lockheed Vega aircraft, the "Winnie Mae," needed modifications. He added a supercharger to the engine, allowing it to perform better at high altitudes with thinner air.
🌏 On his flight, Post reached an altitude of over 50,000 feet, a height where the sky turns dark and the curvature of the Earth becomes visible. At this altitude, he became the first to see the Earth from such a vantage point—something no one had experienced before.
What's the most importnat, Post's showed that flying at such heights was possible and paved the way for advancements in high-altitude aviation.
Here's how his pressure suit look liked.
You can see it in National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution
Photo: https://boingboing.net/
#WileyPost #PressureSuit #aviation #history #technology
