Photo: the western United States, the curvature of the Earth and the upper edges of the stratosphere seen from a U-2 Dragon Lady

This cool image of the western United States was taken by a U.S. Air Force U-2 flying above 70,000 feet.

At that altitude U-2 pilots, who have to wear full-pressure suits similar to those of astronauts that ensure survivability during depressurization, are able to see the curvature of the Earth and the upper edges of the stratosphere.

Image credit: U.S. Air Force

About David Cenciotti
David Cenciotti is a journalist based in Rome, Italy. He is the Founder and Editor of “The Aviationist”, one of the world’s most famous and read military aviation blogs. Since 1996, he has written for major worldwide magazines, including Air Forces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, and many others, covering aviation, defense, war, industry, intelligence, crime and cyberwar. He has reported from the U.S., Europe, Australia and Syria, and flown several combat planes with different air forces. He is a former 2nd Lt. of the Italian Air Force, a private pilot and a graduate in Computer Engineering. He has written five books and contributed to many more ones.