The Perlan 2 sailplane/glider, which had its first test flight last September in Oregon, will attempt to reach its optimal cruising altitude of 90,000 feet as early as this coming June in Argentina , says McArtor. When it does, it will be the highest that any winged vehicle, powered or otherwise, has gone in sustained, level flight.*

As part of the Perlan Project — a nonprofit supported by title sponsor Airbus Group and others; the glider's two-man crew will scientifically sample the stratosphere at altitudes exceeding those of even the U-2 and the SR-71 spy planes.

McArtor stresses that Perlan 2 will offer NASA and other space agencies what he terms the first real in situ flight data in an environment analogous to Mars' own atmosphere.

"Perlan 2's wingspan [of some 84 feet] will just barely fit between first and second base," said McArtor. But he says it should allow the Perlan Project to learn whether that's a wingspan that would allow for optimum maneuverability in Mars' two percent atmosphere. And Perlan should also give the team real time data on how the craft would handle banking and potential stalls in such a Martian atmosphere.