High Altitude

A study has found that placing older adults in a simulated high-altitude environment for a week before major surgery greatly improved their hemoglobin levels, addressing a common preoperative problem, anemia, that can lead to surgical complications.

Balloons may seem outdated, but for high-flying scientific instruments they’re making a comeback. NASA has now unveiled ASTHROS, a new infrared telescope that will be carried to the edge of space by a balloon the size of a football stadium.

​Led by Dr. Brent Michael Kious, scientists from the University of Utah have come to the conclusion that people living at higher altitudes may have an increased risk of suicide. The researchers do have a theory as to why this might be the case, along with some recommendations.

For many adventurers, scaling Mount Everest is an endurance test like no other. For the Sherpas, it’s all in a day’s work. After all, they routinely set the record for the fastest and most ascents. So how do they do it? According to a new study, the answer could literally be in their blood.​

The airlock of the ISS was turned into a laboratory last week. In a station with as much space as a 747, that may seem a bit odd, but its purpose was part of a study of the lungs of space travelers by monitoring the effects of one the astronauts' most surprising hazards: dust.

UK based New Wave Energy aims to put aerial power plants in the sky with unmanned energy harvesting drones. The aim is to produce 400 MW of power, with networks of thousands of drones that can harvest both solar and wind energy and transmit it wirelessly to receiving stations on the ground.

A father and son have obtained video footage of outer space, by attaching a video camera to a weather balloon.

The Magenn MARS system is a helium-filled rotating airship that spins in the wind on the end of a variable-length tether that also acts as a power transmitter, and it's expected to operate at more like 50% of its rated capacity.