Enevoldson, former NASA test pilot, sought to demonstrate the feasibility of riding these stratospheric standing mountain waves. The weather conditions favorable, although not in every case required to exist simultaneously for a climb into the stratospheric waves, are not exceptional: The stratospheric polar night jet overhead (occurring in near-polar latitudes during the late winter and early spring), Pre-frontal conditions, A gradual increase in wind speed with altitude, Wind direction within 30° of perpendicular to the mountain ridgeline, Strong low-altitude winds in a stable atmosphere, Ridge-top winds of at least 20 knots. These conditions are likely to occur in the southern region of Patagonia three to four times per year between mid-August and mid-October. They probably occur in New Zealand, but less frequently; over the Antarctic Peninsula more frequently; and at several locations in the northern hemisphere, but closer to the North Pole at latitudes above 60° north. Objectives The overall objective of the project is to show that sailplane flight well into the middle stratosphere—in the vicinity of 90,000 feet—can be done safely, repeatedly and economically. A sailplane is an ideal platform for several scientific and technological research endeavors: A sailplane can maneuver precisely at very high altitudes to traverse or remain relatively stationary in a desired portion of the wave structure, as the structure is determined in flight. A sailplane can remain on station for several hours to record the evolution of the wave. A sailplane with modern, compact, low power instrumentation makes possible the recording of air mass motion precisely, as well as the collection of samples for later ground analysis or analysis in flight. A sailplane has high strength and great controllability. It is ideal for penetrating breaking waves to determine the turbulence structure and ensuing flight dynamics. A sailplane at 90,000 feet altitude flies in approximately the same aerodynamic regime—Mach and Reynolds numbers—to be experienced by a moderate size aircraft flying near the surface of Mars. A sailplane may carry aerodynamic instrumentation to measure the boundary layer behavior in this regime better than can be done in any wind tunnel. History Einar Enevoldson conceived the project in 1992, after seeing the new LIDAR images of standing mountain waves west of Kiruna, Sweden, that Wolfgang Renger of the DLR, Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany had posted on his office wall. Enevoldson collected evidence on the location, prevalence, and strength of stratospheric mountain waves during the period 1992-1998. Starting in 1998