Tag Archives: stratosphere

A toxic chemical that pollutes groundwater originates high in Earth’s atmosphere, a scientific flight has revealed. Perchlorates, a group of chlorine-containing chemicals that can disrupt thyroid function, form on particles of smoke and organic material in the stratosphere, between 6 and 31 miles (10 to 50 kilometers) above the planet’s surface, according to a new study. Scientists already knew that …

A giant parachute built for Europe’s beleaguered ExoMars mission has aced a drop test with a mock lander during a test campaign in the Arctic. The double parachute system consists of a 50-foot-wide (15-meter) first-stage chute and a secondary 118-foot-wide (35m) chute, which is, according to ESA, the largest ever designed to land an object on Mars. If all goes …

Felix Baumgartner, the daredevil who made a record-breaking parachute jump from the stratosphere in 2012, died Thursday in a paragliding accident in Italy, a local mayor confirmed. Firefighters who responded to the scene said they found a paraglider that had crashed into the side of a swimming pool in the city of Porto Sant Elpidio, on central Italy’s eastern coast. …