https://neal.fun/space-elevator/ 0 0 0 0 0 0 m 0degC [thermomete] [character] [elevator-2] [logo] [note] [cumulus-95] [stratus-90] [altostratu] [altocumulu] [cirrus-700] [cirrus-700] [cirrus2-70] [cirrus3-70] [nimbostrat] [nimbostrat] [nimbostrat] [cumulonimb] [cirrostrat] [cirrostrat] [cirrostrat] [cirrostrat] [cirrostrat] [cirrostrat] [noctilucen] [noctilucen] [nacreous-1] [mount-ever] [sprite-750] [blue-jet-8] [scarf-red-][scarf-yell][scarf-blue] [space-suit][space-suit][space-suit] Fireworks Mallard Migration altitude Welcome to the space elevator, the only elevator that goes to space. As you climb, the temperature will continue to drop. Cirrus clouds are wispy clouds made out of ice crystals. Cirrocumulus are patchy clouds that can blanket the sky. Cumulonimbus are tall, towering clouds that can produce lightning, tornadoes, and hail. Pigeon Mil V-12 Largest helicopter ever built Hang Gliding Typical altitude NASA Helios HP01 Winged aircraft altitude record Nimbostratus clouds are responsible for rainy days. de Havilland Vampire 1948 altitude record Bell X-1 First aircraft to break the sound barrier Vostok 1 On the way to space Learjet 45 Douglas DC-3 Bleriot XI First plane to cross the English Channel Alpine Chough Skydiver Typical altitude White Stork Cessna 172 Party Balloons Liolaemus Lizard Highest-dwelling reptile Mil Mi-8 Pterodactyl Bald Eagle Zeppelin Wild Yak Himalayan Jumping Spider Highest-dwelling spider Vega 5b Amelia Earhart's plane Bumblebee Highest observed flight Bell 47 First helicopter to fly over the Alps Bell X-2 Bar-Tailed Godwit Flycatcher Sandwort Himalayan flowering plant Yellow-Rumped Leaf-Eared Mouse Highest-dwelling mammal Bearded Vulture Paratrooper Max altitude Above this altitude is known as the "death zone", because there isn't enough oxygen for human life. Whooper Swan Mount Everest Peak Box Kite Highest flying kite Andean Condor Bar-headed Goose Sopwith Camel WWI fighter plane P-80 Shooting Star P-51 Mustang WWII fighter plane F-35 Passenger Jet Typical cruising altitude Common Crane Osprey Spitfire An-225 Mriya Heaviest plane ever built Ruppell's Griffon Vulture Highest flying bird SA 315B Lama Highest flying helicopter Mountain Goat Welcome to the stratosphere. Unlike the troposphere, the temperature in the stratosphere increases the higher you go. The stratosphere is home to the ozone layer, which protects us from harmful UV rays. You are currently in the troposphere, the lowest layer of the atmosphere. The troposphere contains 99% of the water vapor in the atmosphere. Stratosphere This elevator ride needs some music... Jet streams are bands of strong winds in the atmosphere. They can reach speeds of up to 450 km/h. Don't worry, the elevator is pretty strong... I think. Mesosphere The air in the mesosphere is very thin. It has less than 1% of the pressure as the air at sea level. Congratulations! You have reached the mesosphere and are now halfway to space. Sounding Rocket V-2 Rocket Peak altitude This is the coldest part of Earth's atmosphere. Since weather balloons can't reach this height, rockets with sensors are used to learn more about the mesosphere. Thermosphere Welcome to the thermosphere, the final layer on our journey to space. At 100 km high, the Karman line is usually accepted as the start of outer space. You are about to reach a place fewer than 1,000 humans have ever been. Now leaving Earth. Temperatures in the thermosphere can reach 2,500degC, but molecules are so far apart that you wouldn't even feel it. Highest Aircraft Ejection Concorde This is the Armstrong limit - above this altitude your saliva and tears will boil if you don't have a pressure suit. Nacreous clouds are rare clouds found in polar regions. They are made of small ice particles that scatter light in colorful ways. USSR-1 1933 balloon altitude record Hot Air Balloon Airbus Zephyr High-altitude platform station Monarch Butterfly As air pressure drops, so does the temperature needed to boil water. At this altitude, water boils at just 54degC. As the air gets thinner, there are fewer molecules to scatter light. So the sky starts getting darker. The SR-71 is one of the fastest planes ever made. It can fly at over 3 times the speed of sound. Now would be a good time to pick out your space suit. It's a bit chilly, pick a scarf to stay warm. Perlan II Highest altitude glider Sud-Ouest Trident II 1958 rocket plane altitude record F-104 Starfighter Space Shuttle Re-entry Maximum heat The mushroom cloud from the largest ever nuclear test, the Tsar Bomba, reached this altitude. Weather Balloon NASA X-43 Experimental hypersonic aircraft The ash cloud from the eruption that destroyed Pompeii reached this height. If you've ever wondered where your lost balloons went, at this height a typical party balloon will pop. Highest paper airplane flight Launched from a balloon, this is the highest a paper airplane has flown. Felix Freefall Felix Baumgartner was the first person to break the sound barrier in freefall. He reached a top speed of 1,356 km/h. Congratulations! You have made it 0.01% to the moon. Space Shuttle Reaches max aerodynamic pressure The mushroom cloud from the Castle Bravo nuclear test reached this altitude. Chelyabinsk Meteor Airburst altitude Space elevators are actually a possible idea being considered by scientists. They could potentially offer a cheaper and safer way of getting to space. The hard part is making a strong enough cable. And finding enough elevator music... Sutter's Mill Meteor Breakup altitude Sprites are a rare form of lightning spotted over thunderstorms that only last a fraction of a second. While normal lightning is around 4 km long, sprites can reach lengths of up to 50 km. Since the speed of sound depends on the temperature, sound travels 15% slower up here. The world's fastest elevator travels at 74 km/h. A space elevator with the same speed would take 80 minutes to reach space. Blue jets are a rare form of lightning that arc upward in a brilliant blue flash. U-2 Spy plane Noctilucent clouds are the highest altitude clouds in the atmosphere. They are only visible at night and at higher latitudes. Most meteors burn up in the mesosphere. It's estimated that over 48 tons of meteors hit the atmosphere every day. SR-71 Blackbird 1976 altitude record Caproni Ca.161 1938 altitude record Project Excelsior 1960 skydive altitude record With nothing but a duct-taped pressure suit, Joseph Kittinger jumped from an open gondola and set a record that would last more than 50 years. Sukhoi Su-9 Explorer II 1935 balloon altitude record Douglas Skyrocket First aircraft to reach Mach 2 Saturn V First stage seperation BU60-1 High altitude balloon record As particles from the sun hit the atmosphere, they excite the atoms in the air. These excited atoms start to glow, creating brilliant displays of light called auroras. X-15 Highest flying rocket plane Karman line Hummingbird Chilean Flamingo Alan Eustace's Skydive Current record for highest skydive Space Shuttle Boosters eject VSS Unity Falcon 9 First stage separation [note] Play Elevator Music [title] [chevron] Scroll Up! [chevron] [title-end] Created by Neal Agarwal Birds & planes by Cindy Hart [coffee]Buy Me a Coffee Browse more projects on Neal.fun