0:00:12 > 0:00:16I am in training to go where few civilians have gone -
0:00:16 > 0:00:22a place the US Air Force call "the space equivalent zone".
0:00:22 > 0:00:28I'll be so high above the Earth, I'll need this spacesuit just to stay alive.
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Three, two, one...
0:00:32 > 0:00:35I've three days of punishing training to get through.
0:00:35 > 0:00:36Oh!
0:00:36 > 0:00:40That really hurt. LAUGHTER
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Unless you're screaming for dear mothering God all the way down,
0:00:43 > 0:00:46- you should have plenty of air. - I will be.
0:00:46 > 0:00:49But at the end, I'm in for the flight of a lifetime
0:00:49 > 0:00:52in a truly remarkable aircraft.
0:00:52 > 0:00:53Hey, hey!
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Short of becoming an astronaut, it's as close to space as I can get.
0:01:00 > 0:01:02Yes!
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Oh, man, I've got that curvature of the horizon thing.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08Look at that, that's perfect.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Oh, it's lovely.
0:01:11 > 0:01:13Man in heaven!
0:01:29 > 0:01:33The U-2 is one of the strangest flying machines ever built.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38It's a relic of the Cold War, a controversial and top secret aircraft
0:01:38 > 0:01:42that pushed the boundaries of aviation to new heights.
0:01:44 > 0:01:49Here it is, the Lockheed U-2, or the Dragon Lady to her close friends.
0:01:49 > 0:01:51It has the fuselage of a jet fighter,
0:01:51 > 0:01:57but it has the wings of a glider, 104 feet of them, and for a very good reason.
0:01:57 > 0:02:01These are designed to cling on to terrifyingly thin air.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05This is the world's highest-flying plane.
0:02:09 > 0:02:11A jumbo flying across the Atlantic
0:02:11 > 0:02:15will typically fly at between 35,000 and 40,000 feet.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18This will fly at 70,000 feet.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22From the cockpit of this, the jumbo down below will appear as small
0:02:22 > 0:02:24as it normally does from the ground.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28And from there I'll be able to see the curvature of the Earth
0:02:28 > 0:02:31and look up at the blackness of space.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39To fly a U-2, you need over 1,000 jet fighter hours under your belt.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43I don't have any, but thankfully, I've been teamed up
0:02:43 > 0:02:47with one of the most experienced pilots in the Air Force.
0:02:47 > 0:02:49- Hello, sir. - Hello, James.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52- You must be John "Cabi" Cabigas. - Yes. Good to meet you.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54- And you. You're the pilot? - Yes.
0:02:54 > 0:02:58Excellent. So we can't just get in and go, can we?
0:02:58 > 0:03:01You'll want to torture me and humiliate me first.
0:03:01 > 0:03:05That's necessary, of course. We'll have two and a half days of training
0:03:05 > 0:03:08so that you know how to egress out of the aircraft.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13We'll do local area survival training, so if we have to eject out of the aircraft
0:03:13 > 0:03:16and land in the woods or ocean, you'll be able to survive.
0:03:16 > 0:03:19- Fighting off bears? - And sharks.
0:03:19 > 0:03:22- We do have great white sharks as well.- All right.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Since we'll be flying above 70,000 feet,
0:03:24 > 0:03:28without a full pressure suit to keep you alive, you're a goner up there.
0:03:28 > 0:03:32- It really is a spacesuit? - Yes, you can use it in outer space.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37Space shuttle pilots borrowed our suits for their first shuttle mission.
0:03:37 > 0:03:38- Really? - That's right.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44That may seem pretty routine to a U-2 pilot like Cabi,
0:03:44 > 0:03:49but the idea that my life will depend on this suit at 70,000 feet -
0:03:49 > 0:03:52that's quite alarming.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54Space geeks will be keen to point out
0:03:54 > 0:03:57that space officially starts at 60 miles altitude.
0:03:57 > 0:04:01At 70,000 feet, I will only be about 30 miles up.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05However, back long before the space race started in the 1950s,
0:04:05 > 0:04:09the beginning of space was considered to be 50,000 feet
0:04:09 > 0:04:14and that's because physiologically, in terms of the effect it has on your body,
0:04:14 > 0:04:1650,000 feet is space.
0:04:16 > 0:04:20If you walked outside into 50,000 feet wearing normal clothes like these,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23you'd be dead in probably five seconds.
0:04:24 > 0:04:27But U-2s were designed to fly way beyond that.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32As far back as 1955, the Air Force had to find a way to keep pilots alive
0:04:32 > 0:04:36in what they considered space.
0:04:36 > 0:04:39And in order to do that, the Americans were forced to invent
0:04:39 > 0:04:42what we would now call the spacesuit.
0:04:42 > 0:04:46That is why even though the Soviets stole a bit of a march on the Americans
0:04:46 > 0:04:49at the beginning of the space race,
0:04:49 > 0:04:53the Americans were ahead on the development of the spacesuit.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57It's one of the reasons they went on to win the race to the moon.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01So whenever you see old film of astronauts floating in space,
0:05:01 > 0:05:04the suits they're wearing are practically identical
0:05:04 > 0:05:07to the one I'll be wearing during my flight.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12If I'm going to be a spaceman, I'd better pay attention.
0:05:12 > 0:05:14If I don't shape up, I don't fly.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18I've been given a "skedule"...
0:05:18 > 0:05:22and today I have to have a medical.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25And they've asked me to bring...
0:05:25 > 0:05:30my entire medical history from birth, which is all in that folder,
0:05:30 > 0:05:35and my dental records, which is presumably so they can identify me
0:05:35 > 0:05:39from my jawbone when they find it in the desert in three years' time.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43Time to meet the doctor.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47- James, could you come this way? - Right oh.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52"Have you felt down, depressed or hopeless?"
0:05:54 > 0:05:57No.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01"Are you currently feeling threatened or afraid?"
0:06:03 > 0:06:05That's a "no", isn't it?
0:06:07 > 0:06:11It says, "Are you having any thoughts of hurting yourself or others?"
0:06:13 > 0:06:17Strictly, that's a "yes", but I think they want me to put "no".
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Obviously, as this is a military medical,
0:06:23 > 0:06:27I'm not expecting anything touchy-feely or anything like that.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31Although, actually the risk will be it's very touchy-feely.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35Could be worse.
0:06:37 > 0:06:39- Hello.- Hello.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42The good doctor has to be thorough.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Any sign of illness or physical defects
0:06:45 > 0:06:49and they can't risk putting me in a spacesuit.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52Ta-da!
0:06:52 > 0:06:56That is medical clearance to fly.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58And more importantly from my point of view,
0:06:58 > 0:07:04my leg measurement taken from the top of my hip to the end of my knee
0:07:04 > 0:07:08falls within a range that means in the event that we have to eject,
0:07:08 > 0:07:12I won't...get my legs ripped off.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Which is terrific news.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23Now, no spaceman is properly prepared without space pants.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27But, suitably attired, I'm ready to be introduced to my spacesuit.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30- Good morning. - Morning.
0:07:30 > 0:07:32- Right, what do I do? - Have a seat.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39The long johns are just the first of my suit's five layers.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44Oh!
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Breathable Gore-Tex, airtight rubber, a restraining wire mesh
0:07:48 > 0:07:53and the yellow protective layer create an airtight cocoon around me.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57Right, I've got a bit of a hair issue here.
0:07:57 > 0:08:02'This is a quarter of a million dollars' worth of space technology.'
0:08:02 > 0:08:04One, two, three...
0:08:06 > 0:08:09'This suit is going to be my life support system.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13'I have to learn to avoid suffocating once I'm sealed inside.'
0:08:13 > 0:08:16It's all right, actually. It's better than I expected.
0:08:16 > 0:08:21'Cabi's here. He's promised to hold my hand for the next bit
0:08:21 > 0:08:25'because if I can't operate all these regulators, I'm in trouble.'
0:08:25 > 0:08:28When we're ready, we're gonna connect your oxygen.
0:08:28 > 0:08:32'They keep the suit pressurised, control the temperature inside
0:08:32 > 0:08:35'and deliver oxygen into my helmet.'
0:08:36 > 0:08:39You don't want to inflate the suit without your visor down
0:08:39 > 0:08:42cos it'll try to extrude your head out the helmet.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44You don't want that.
0:08:45 > 0:08:47'I guess I look the part now,
0:08:47 > 0:08:53'but the big test is whether the suit and I can hold up under extreme pressure.'
0:08:55 > 0:08:57'Here goes.'
0:08:57 > 0:09:00(HISSING)
0:09:18 > 0:09:20Oh! Could you open this up a minute?
0:09:29 > 0:09:31Oh...
0:09:31 > 0:09:34- Are you doing OK? - No, can you let it down?
0:09:36 > 0:09:38Oh, shit.
0:09:39 > 0:09:41What's wrong? Ears, sinus?
0:09:41 > 0:09:46No, it's really freaking me out. Sorry, I'm doing my best, but it's awful.
0:09:49 > 0:09:50Oh!
0:09:59 > 0:10:01Sorry. Please don't film it.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07First time I ever put just our low-flight helmet on with the mask,
0:10:07 > 0:10:11I was very claustrophobic and ended up vomiting after that episode.
0:10:11 > 0:10:13It's pretty common, it's pretty normal.
0:10:13 > 0:10:18You just do a couple of things to try to overcome that. Again mind over matter.
0:10:27 > 0:10:31Well, I've done my first series of spacesuit tests.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35And the suit works perfectly well, but I'm not sure I performed that brilliantly
0:10:35 > 0:10:38because I do find it, if I'm brutally honest, a bit claustrophobic.
0:10:38 > 0:10:42It's not the suit. It's very comfortable. It's the helmet.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46It's very close to your head and it's got a rubber seal round.
0:10:46 > 0:10:50Oxygen hisses in and out and the visor's right there. It freaks me out a bit.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57U-2s first went into service in 1955.
0:10:57 > 0:10:59Their objective was to spy, in total secrecy,
0:10:59 > 0:11:03on America's Cold War enemy, the Soviet Union.
0:11:03 > 0:11:08The plane was built to fly way beyond the reach of enemy fighters or missiles
0:11:08 > 0:11:10or even radar.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12But its cover was blown in 1960
0:11:12 > 0:11:16when pilot Gary Powers fell out of the sky over Russia,
0:11:16 > 0:11:18causing a bit of a to-do.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21And it was a pig to land.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Pilots had to rely on their mates to talk them down to Earth
0:11:25 > 0:11:28from high-speed cars on the runway.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33Down to six.
0:11:33 > 0:11:35Five, four, three...
0:11:35 > 0:11:38And 50 years later, they're still at it.
0:11:39 > 0:11:42Just a little bit more left rudder.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45OK, coming down, six inches, hold it off.
0:11:53 > 0:11:56He's definitely on the centre line.
0:12:00 > 0:12:04Now, the wing tips have titanium skids on the bottom,
0:12:04 > 0:12:06so they are designed to scrape that way.
0:12:09 > 0:12:11Spectacular.
0:12:13 > 0:12:15Once the planes come to a halt,
0:12:15 > 0:12:19there's a remarkably low-tech way of holding up the wings,
0:12:19 > 0:12:22and I can't resist making myself useful.
0:12:28 > 0:12:31Do you want another body...?
0:12:34 > 0:12:37I'm just adding my weight to this wing to lift the other one up,
0:12:37 > 0:12:41so they can get the so-called pogo back in.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46There it is then. Funny old beast.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48But I rather like it.
0:12:48 > 0:12:54Well, this has all been rather excellent so far. I've bonded with the U-2 a bit.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59I've chased it up and down the runway in the car which was a novel experience.
0:12:59 > 0:13:02Tomorrow, it does get a little bit more serious
0:13:02 > 0:13:07because I have to learn how to get out of that in an emergency, i.e. eject,
0:13:07 > 0:13:10and how to survive if I happen to come down
0:13:10 > 0:13:12in the Californian desert somewhere.
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Still, it'll be great.
0:13:19 > 0:13:24Bailing out at 70,000 feet would be no charity parachute jump.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Blasted into thin air inside a sealed suit,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32I'd have 13 miles to fall, most of it strapped to my seat.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35- Good morning. - How are you doin'?
0:13:35 > 0:13:39I'm Sergeant Hartzler. I'll be your egress and parachute trainer for today.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Feet, leg, butt, back, roll. Shall I do it again?
0:13:42 > 0:13:44- Do it again. - I knew you'd say that.
0:13:44 > 0:13:48Why might I need to eject? It's unlikely, isn't it?
0:13:48 > 0:13:51- I won't say it's unlikely... - Please say it's unlikely!
0:13:51 > 0:13:55It does happen, so we do this training to prepare you for that.
0:13:56 > 0:13:59Feet down, rudder, I'm in.
0:13:59 > 0:14:03You may have to eject due to the tail falling off, um...
0:14:03 > 0:14:06An explosion in the air for any reason.
0:14:06 > 0:14:10But this is a pretty safe aircraft. We have a good track record.
0:14:10 > 0:14:15- Do the tails fall off regularly? - We fixed that problem a long time ago.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20If the pilot says, "Bail out, bail out, bail out," put your feet back. OK?
0:14:21 > 0:14:24- Your shoulder blades will be back. - Yeah.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26- There you go. - Can I stay here for a bit?
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Take your left hand and grab your right wrist.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32The reason I'm having you practise that is because
0:14:32 > 0:14:34up in altitude if you were to go convertible, it takes that much strength
0:14:34 > 0:14:38to bring that wrist down to that ejection handle.
0:14:38 > 0:14:43Unless you are screaming for dear mothering God all the way down, you should have plenty of air.
0:14:43 > 0:14:44I will be.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46I banged my head!
0:14:46 > 0:14:47- Shall I do it again? - Do it again.
0:14:49 > 0:14:51Matron.
0:14:51 > 0:14:54- This is our pilot torture device. - OK, slide out slowly.
0:14:55 > 0:14:58- There you go. - Ow!
0:14:58 > 0:15:00- Those feel good, don't they? - Bloody hell!
0:15:00 > 0:15:04Now release the loosest one first, which is this one.
0:15:05 > 0:15:07There you go.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09That really hurt.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12- All right, do you want to stand up? - No.
0:15:12 > 0:15:13LAUGHTER
0:15:13 > 0:15:17- Any other questions? - Can I have my testicles back?
0:15:17 > 0:15:19Excellent. Thank you very much.
0:15:19 > 0:15:21Have a great flight and hope to see you back.
0:15:21 > 0:15:24I hope I won't need anything you taught me. Ever.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26That's what we plan for.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34It's a critical stage in my training.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38I'm back in the spacesuit preparing for a much bigger challenge.
0:15:41 > 0:15:46This is my introduction to high altitude physiology.
0:15:46 > 0:15:48I'm entering a vacuum chamber
0:15:48 > 0:15:52which can simulate the atmosphere at 75,000 feet.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01Captain Latimer wants me to prove that I can stay alive
0:16:01 > 0:16:04with just my spacesuit for protection.
0:16:04 > 0:16:08Sergeants Johnson and Jacobson are with you today, two of our finest.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12You got a good chance to meet those guys in the integration room.
0:16:13 > 0:16:17There's an awful lot of people, presumably all to keep me alive
0:16:17 > 0:16:20because when all the air is pumped out,
0:16:20 > 0:16:24this chamber will turn deadly, making some strange things happen.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29- Is that gonna boil?- That will begin to boil at 63,000 feet.
0:16:29 > 0:16:33I'll keep you posted on that as we get a bit closer to it.
0:16:36 > 0:16:40OK, we're gonna start our rapid ascent up to 75,000 feet now.
0:16:40 > 0:16:42Roger.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45And we're gonna keep an eye on that glove
0:16:45 > 0:16:48which has already expanded considerably.
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Now, we've just passed through 50,000 feet.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55That's what the Air Force deems as the space equivalent zone.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58That's a carry-over back to the old space race days
0:16:58 > 0:17:02when we were trying to set a timeline between us...
0:17:02 > 0:17:04There it goes!
0:17:04 > 0:17:08'Let's just be clear. That water isn't boiling because it's hot.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11'It's boiling because the pressure is so low.
0:17:11 > 0:17:15'Without this suit on, my tears and saliva would boil too.'
0:17:17 > 0:17:21And our glove just popped, so it made it to 70,000 feet.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25'So far, so good, but things would get a lot more hairy
0:17:25 > 0:17:28'if my cockpit canopy were to fail.
0:17:28 > 0:17:34'Without my suit, such a catastrophic pressure drop would rip apart my lungs.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36'Let's practise that then!'
0:17:36 > 0:17:38Three, two, one.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42- Agh! - There you go. Hold that. Perfect.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46You're doing a great job. Looking good. How are you feeling?
0:17:46 > 0:17:48- I'm still breathing. - You are.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53Your suit pressure looks excellent, your helmet pressure looks good.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58So everything working exactly like it's supposed to, which is always great.
0:17:58 > 0:18:01'Good. I'm very glad that's over with.'
0:18:03 > 0:18:07Well done. Your brains didn't blow up. Your eyes didn't bulge out.
0:18:07 > 0:18:11Your guts didn't fall out. It's a good day so far.
0:18:13 > 0:18:15What do you say we get you out of that kit?
0:18:15 > 0:18:18- Yeah, let's get out of it. - This way.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31There is one more thing to sort out before my training is over.
0:18:31 > 0:18:36I'm reporting to Captain Latimer again to discuss a rather delicate matter.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40What we're gonna talk about now is the urine collection device,
0:18:40 > 0:18:45so if you needed to urinate at altitude, this is available to you.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49We'll kind of start off by separating this piece off.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53- This is a once-used component? - It's not, actually.
0:18:53 > 0:18:55It's... Once it's...
0:18:55 > 0:18:59The pilots... This is able to be washed.
0:18:59 > 0:19:01When the pilots are done showering,
0:19:01 > 0:19:03they'll take it in the shower with them
0:19:03 > 0:19:06and rinse and clean it out and ready to go again.
0:19:06 > 0:19:10And how do you... I don't want to get too graphic about this,
0:19:10 > 0:19:12but I have to try and get this around my chap?
0:19:12 > 0:19:15- Correct.- Cor blimey!
0:19:15 > 0:19:19Won't it just make it fall off like docking a lamb's tail? It's very tight.
0:19:19 > 0:19:22It is, and that's why we say... We trim it.
0:19:22 > 0:19:25You'll trim it to fit
0:19:25 > 0:19:28and we can provide a technician back there with you as well
0:19:28 > 0:19:32to assist in that... in the actual trimming,
0:19:32 > 0:19:35to show you how to work it if you need to.
0:19:35 > 0:19:38But the main thing is we'll make sure that it does fit properly.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42If it's overly tight, it constricts blood flow.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45You do have to trim this piece to fit.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49And best to maybe go a little conservative with the trim at first,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51then try it on and you can cut it back.
0:19:51 > 0:19:54- So no boasting sort of...? - Right, right.
0:19:54 > 0:19:56OK. That's...terrific.
0:20:09 > 0:20:13Well then, I've done all the training a civilian can really do.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16I can even remember about half of it.
0:20:16 > 0:20:18And providing the weather is good enough tomorrow -
0:20:18 > 0:20:22it looks as if it probably will be - then we're off.
0:20:22 > 0:20:25I'm very excited. I am slightly apprehensive.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28I'll be brutally honest - I don't like wearing the spacesuit.
0:20:28 > 0:20:31I find it very, very claustrophobic.
0:20:31 > 0:20:36And the instant I put the visor down, I get an itch on the end of my nose.
0:20:36 > 0:20:38And it'll be down for four hours or so.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43But they do it, so... They do it for 12 hours, in fact, so I'm sure I'll be fine.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02It's the big day.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Today is my chance to dip my toe into the infinity of space.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11As I'm suited up for real,
0:21:11 > 0:21:14it is dawning on me how vulnerable humans are
0:21:14 > 0:21:18the moment we leave the safety of Earth.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Sure, moon rockets were amazing inventions,
0:21:22 > 0:21:25but the Apollo astronauts themselves were only on board
0:21:25 > 0:21:28thanks to the technology of human survival in space.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45If a suit like this was good enough to get Neil Armstrong to the moon,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48it's good enough for me.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55I do actually feel a bit like an Apollo astronaut now
0:21:55 > 0:21:58on the long journey out to the launch pad.
0:22:29 > 0:22:31Ground crew clear.
0:22:38 > 0:22:40- Ready to go? - I'm ready to go.
0:22:46 > 0:22:48Whoa!
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Man in heaven! Hey, hey, hey!
0:22:51 > 0:22:54500 from take-off.
0:22:55 > 0:22:56And we're off!
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Into the weather.
0:23:07 > 0:23:11- Stand by one minute. - We're about to climb.
0:23:12 > 0:23:14That is incredible.
0:23:15 > 0:23:21'There is so much lift in this thing, we're climbing at 8,000 feet every minute.'
0:23:22 > 0:23:25What's the highest you've been in a jet before?
0:23:25 > 0:23:2840... 45,000 feet.
0:23:28 > 0:23:31We'll be past that in roughly about two minutes.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35So I'm about to break my personal altitude record.
0:23:35 > 0:23:37That's correct.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42'This is situation normal for the U-2
0:23:42 > 0:23:47'which is still at the forefront of strategic reconnaissance after 50 years.
0:23:47 > 0:23:52'Or as they put it, "In God, we trust - all others, we monitor." '
0:23:52 > 0:23:57We're just approaching the start of what was space in the old days.
0:23:57 > 0:24:00- That's correct. Here it comes. - 50,000 feet. There it is.
0:24:07 > 0:24:12Skipper, I'm feeling a slight build-up of what I believe you Americans call gas.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15No, we call that a fart. JAMES LAUGHS
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Permission to decompress, sir?
0:24:19 > 0:24:21- Permission granted. - Thank you.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Excuse me.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27I think I'm gonna have a little bit of lunch.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29- You're having lunch? - Yes, sir.
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Right oh. I might join you with a bit of apple pie.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36'Perhaps that will take my mind off the fact
0:24:36 > 0:24:39'that we're hardly clinging on in this thin air.
0:24:39 > 0:24:44'If Cabi changes speed by as little as ten knots, we'll fall out of the sky.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49'It's a margin U-2 pilots call "coffin corner".'
0:24:51 > 0:24:55God, I've just noticed how dark the sky is!
0:24:55 > 0:24:58God, I hadn't looked up!
0:24:58 > 0:25:01- It's quite dark, isn't it? - That's incredible.
0:25:01 > 0:25:05There it is. 70,000 feet.
0:25:07 > 0:25:09HE LAUGHS
0:25:10 > 0:25:14This is madness. Is anybody else up here? Presumably not.
0:25:17 > 0:25:18Yes!
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Oh, man, I've got that curvature of the horizon thing.
0:25:23 > 0:25:25- Look at that, that's perfect. - Yeah.
0:25:25 > 0:25:28That just looks fantastic.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Oh, it's lovely.
0:25:30 > 0:25:33Do you get bored of looking at that? Surely not.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Oh, I never do.
0:25:36 > 0:25:39Oh, it's terrific.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41Now let's see if it works... Oh, yes!
0:25:46 > 0:25:49Gosh, it's made me feel slightly emotional.
0:25:49 > 0:25:51Feel free.
0:25:56 > 0:25:59'This is an uncanny sensation.
0:25:59 > 0:26:02'It's like dangling from some celestial child's mobile,
0:26:02 > 0:26:06'even though I know we're cruising at nearly 500 knots.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11'Apart from the crew of the Space Station, we're the highest people in the world.'
0:26:11 > 0:26:13Man in heaven!
0:26:16 > 0:26:19The sky looks just breathtaking.
0:26:21 > 0:26:24If indeed that is the sky. Most of the sky is below us.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28I think that might be a view of eternity.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Technically speaking, you are correct.
0:26:32 > 0:26:34It's absolutely...
0:26:34 > 0:26:38just almost impossible to articulate what it feels like.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42That is the real shape of the good Earth.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45It's rather humbling.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- Breathtaking. - You're welcome.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Welcome to the world of high flying.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27I'm slightly lost for words, I have to say.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36There you go.
0:27:36 > 0:27:39Sorry, I'm slightly...
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Whoa! It's amazing.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- Thank you, Skipper. - Welcome back to Earth.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49Good job. I've got something special for you.
0:27:49 > 0:27:52Turn around this way, so everybody can see.
0:27:56 > 0:28:02So, what you didn't know is I stowed this aboard on your pressure suit.
0:28:02 > 0:28:06And I'd like you to have your own 70,000-foot two-dollar bill there.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09- Oh, thank you. - What do you think of that?
0:28:09 > 0:28:14Fantastic. Still suffering a little bit of rapid decompression. Is that normal?
0:28:14 > 0:28:16You mean your guts?
0:28:16 > 0:28:20'The experience Cabi has just given me is actually priceless.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25'Even so, I'll always treasure my two-buck souvenir from the edge of space.'
0:28:27 > 0:28:32'Because every time I take it out of my wallet, I remember this.'
0:28:48 > 0:28:51Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:28:51 > 0:28:55E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk