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Controversy has raged in the mountaineering community whether one or both of them reached the summit 29years before the confirmed ascent and safe descent of Everest by Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay in 1953. Climbers face a treacherous traverse from the base of the First Step: ascending from 8,501 to 8,534m (27,890 to 28,000ft), to the crux of the climb, the Second Step, ascending from 8,577 to 8,626m (28,140 to 28,300ft). To survive up there, some bacteria depend on sun-blocking pigments and protective outer shells. Advertising Notice [8] The Tibetan name is also popularly romanised as Chomolungma and (in Wylie) as Jo-mo-glang-ma. With the parachute already deployed, a failure even at a few hundred feet would result in the same drifting landing as if the capsule were descending from on high. Being among the tallest structures in Las Vegas has its advantages. What you may not realize, however, is that the Arctic region witnesses two different kinds of polar vortices. The next attempt was that of Norton and Somervell, who climbed without oxygen and in perfect weather, traversing the North Face into the Great Couloir. Boivin said: "I was tired when I reached the top because I had broken much of the trail, and to run at this altitude was quite hard. [264] Some examples are Kangchenjunga, K2, Annapurna, Nanga Parbat, and the Eiger (especially the nordwand). [225], A team of Chinese surveyors climbed Mt. "Stratigraphy of the Mount Jolmo Langma and its north slope. [citation needed]. On 1 May 1999, the Mallory and Irvine Research Expedition found Mallory's body on the North Face in a snow basin below and to the west of the traditional site of CampVI. Air gets colder as one rises through the troposphere. [210] Noted climber Cory Richards announced on Twitter that he was hoping to establish a new climbing route to the summit in 2019. [210] Also announced was an expedition to re-measure the height of Everest, particularly in light of the 2015 earthquakes. Reinhold Messner was the first climber to break the bottled oxygen tradition and in 1978, with Peter Habeler, made the first successful climb without it. Be they cirrus, stratus or cumulonimbus, you need water droplets and/or ice crystals to make clouds. By the same measure of base to summit, Denali, in Alaska, also known as Mount McKinley, is taller than Everest as well. If the weather is not clear with low winds during these short few days, climbers are forced to descend, many all the way back down to Base Camp. Mount Everest - Wikipedia 2005. The guiding disaster gained wide publicity and raised questions about the commercialisation of climbing and the safety of guiding clients on Mount Everest. Europe doesnt yet have any relevant regulations, so Zero2infinity is working with the Spanish and European governments to develop them. It used to be 20km+. Thats a good sign that World View and Zero2infinity are reading the market right. ", Sakai, H., M. Sawada, Y. Takigami, Y. Orihashi, T. Danhara, H. Iwano, Y. Kuwahara, Q. Dong, H. Cai, and J. Li. A rock head elevation of 8,850m (29,035ft), and a snow/ice elevation 1m (3ft) higher, were obtained via this device. From Camp III to Camp IV, climbers are faced with two additional challenges: the Geneva Spur and the Yellow Band. [215][216][217][219], By 23 May 2019, about seven people had died, possibly due to crowding leading to delays high on the mountain, and shorter weather windows. Everest History: First All-Black Expedition Team Summits World's Highest Peak", "Deaf Climbers make History on Mount Everest", "Kathmandu Post- Everest permits to be extended", "Everest expeditions likely to be delayed by bad weather", Mt. Fanning, S.-C. Peng, and S.K. A limited support service, offering only some meals at base camp and bureaucratic overhead like a permit, can cost as little as US$7,000 as of 2007. "Wanless, F. R. (1975). All year long, the swirling tropospheric polar vortex encircles the Arctic; its edge is usually found between the latitudes of 40 and 50 degrees north. Earth's Upper Atmosphere. The posh factor, Wallington says, doesnt add up to much. Transferring one's equipment from the airport to the base camp may add as much as US$2,000. There are climbers everywhere. [377] On 5 May 2013, the beverage company Red Bull sponsored Valery Rozov, who successfully BASE jumped off of the mountain while wearing a wingsuit, setting a record for world's highest BASE jump in the process. [16], In 1849, Waugh dispatched James Nicolson to the area, who made two observations from Jirol, 190km (120mi) away. The stratosphere is separated from the troposphere by a layer called the tropopause. [61][62] The Rongbuk Formation consists of a sequence of high-grade metamorphic and granitic rocks that were derived from the alteration of high-grade metasedimentary rocks. They formed as the result of partial melting of Paleoproterozoic to Ordovician high-grade metasedimentary rocks of the Higher Himalayan Sequence about 20 to 24million years ago during the subduction of the Indian Plate.[57]. These were the highest death tolls for a single weather event, and for a single season, until the sixteen deaths in the 2014 Mount Everest avalanche. This is the place where the temperature inversion starts to happen. The north ridge route begins from the north side of Everest, in Tibet. Some studies have found that high-altitude climbers, including Everest climbers, experience altered brain structure. [268][334] After the flight they hiked, biked, and kayaked to the Indian Ocean, reaching the Bay of Bengal by 27 June 2011, thereby becoming the first persons to complete a continuous summit-to-sea descent from Everest. Climbers above Base Campfor the 62-year history of climbing on the mountainhave most commonly either buried their excrement in holes they dug by hand in the snow, or slung it into crevasses, or simply defecated wherever convenient, often within metres of their tents. On 8 June 1924, George Mallory and Andrew Irvine made an attempt on the summit via the North Col-North Ridge-Northeast Ridge route from which they never returned. At 8,750m (28,700ft), a small table-sized dome of ice and snow marks the South Summit. [178][179] One of the reasons for this was the high probability of aftershocks (over 50 per cent according to the United States Geological Survey). The Western Cwm is a flat, gently rising glacial valley, marked by huge lateral crevasses in the centre, which prevent direct access to the upper reaches of the Cwm. Stratosphere Tower Las Vegas | Rides, Prices, Tickets, Skyjump For example, Edmund Hillary stated in 2003 that while "Having people pay $65,000 and then be led up the mountain by a couple of experienced guidesisn't really mountaineering at all",[359] he was pleased by the changes brought to Everest area by Westerners, "I don't have any regrets because I worked very hard indeed to improve the condition for the local people. The height of the stratosphere changes depending on the part of the planet. I imagine you are surprised to see me here. Its Swifty is an autonomous, high-altitude balloon that flies into the stratosphere between 60,000 and 85,000 feet (18,288 and 25,908 meters). A crucial decision affecting the fate of Sharp is shown in the program, where an early returning climber, Lebanese adventurer Maxim Chaya, is descending from the summit and radios to his base camp manager (Russell Brice) that he has found a frostbitten and unconscious climber in distress. Earth's Early Atmosphere Was Briefly a Methane Haze, Ice Crystals Cause Beautiful Noctilucent Clouds, 1. As of November 2022, 310 people have died on Everest. [254][bettersourceneeded]. [91], By March 2012, Everest had been climbed 5,656 times with 223 deaths. [343] By the early-1990s, several companies were offering guided tours to the mountain. "Holy Mother Peak"), these names were largely phased out when the Ministry of Internal Affairs of China issued a decree to adopt a sole name in May 1952. The team made a huge effort for the next 12 hours to try to get him down the mountain, but to no avail, as they were unsuccessful in getting him through the difficult sections. Tourists are allowed to go as far as the Rongbuk Monastery. [182] Bad weather also made helicopter evacuation difficult. In 1980, Messner summited the mountain solo, without supplemental oxygen or any porters or climbing partners, on the more difficult northwest route. And although it wont happen this year, or even next, soon you can become a member of a very elite group: those who have traveled to the top of the stratosphere. [50][51][55], The remainder of the North Col Formation, exposed between 7,000 to 8,200m (23,000 to 26,900ft) on Mount Everest, consists of interlayered and deformed schist, phyllite, and minor marble. [109][110], On 23 May 1956, Ernst Schmied and Juerg Marmet ascended. Mauna Kea in Hawaii is tallest when measured from its base;[note 5] it rises over 10,200m (33,464.6ft) when measured from its base on the mid-ocean floor, but only attains 4,205m (13,796ft) above sea level. It is the second layer of the atmosphere as you go upward. Stratosphere | NASA Space Place - NASA Science for Kids The team of 20 Polish climbers and 4 Sherpas established a base camp on Khumbu Glacier in early January 1980. "Everest" and "Sagarmatha" redirect here. In the late-1990s, expeditions began using toilets that they fashioned from blue plastic 190-litre (50-US-gallon) barrels fitted with a toilet seat and enclosed. Researchers in a study published in August 2018 in the journal Frontiers in Microbiology designed and built an air-capturing probe they installed on a NASA plane. Clint Wallington, a professor at Rochester Institute of Technologys Hospitality and Tourism Management Department, has taught a course on space tourism, and points out that the number of people lining up for a stratosphere trip, however many there are at the start, could be self-limiting. This diagram shows some of the features of the stratosphere. This atmospheric layer is where almost all of the weather-related phenomena on Earth unfold. The FAA has been known to lag behind the expansion of new technologies, so it remains to be seen how easily World View can get over the space qualification hurdle. [2] Its elevation (snow height) of .mw-parser-output .frac{white-space:nowrap}.mw-parser-output .frac .num,.mw-parser-output .frac .den{font-size:80%;line-height:0;vertical-align:super}.mw-parser-output .frac .den{vertical-align:sub}.mw-parser-output .sr-only{border:0;clip:rect(0,0,0,0);clip-path:polygon(0px 0px,0px 0px,0px 0px);height:1px;margin:-1px;overflow:hidden;padding:0;position:absolute;width:1px}8,848.86m (29,031ft 8+12in) was most recently established in 2020 by the Chinese and Nepali authorities. Everest from the North side during AprilMay 2020, becoming the only climbers to summit the world's highest peak during the pandemic, at least through May. Nigel Goode is a partner in the design firm Priestman Goode and head of the team designing the World View capsules interior. For other uses, see, Aerial photo from the south, with Mount Everest rising above the ridge connecting, Southern and northern climbing routes as seen from the, First successful ascent by Tenzing and Hillary, 1953. It endangers the lives of others. An airplane flying in the stratosphere uses far less fuel than at lower altitudes thanks to the lower air density and lower temperature. Companies on both sides of the Atlantic are building capsules to carry you into the stratosphere. Inside the troposphere, the global average temperature decreases with altitude. Bourgignon admits he also wants to be one of the first to experience itIts important to do it before it becomes kind of a normal thing.. Nobodys ever taken a person to the stratosphere who wasnt trained. Thats partly why both companies plan to have two pilots on a crew; one will always be available to deal with passengers reactions, should the need arise. He says World View is developing its own balloon manufacturing plant and working out whether reusable balloons are feasible. Now climbers are trying to prevent its spread amid a record season", "Everest Will Be More Crowded Than Ever This Year", "China shuts down Everest over coronavirus", "Mount Everest: Nepal's government shuts off mountain amid virus outbreak", "Coronavirus: Chinese explorers start Everest climb amid pandemic", "China to draw 'separation line' on peak of Mount Everest", "Everest Time Line: 80 Years of Triumph and Tragedy", "Montana State University Everest Education Expedition Everest Facts", "Arterial Blood Gases and Oxygen Content in Climbers on Mount Everest", "Mortality on Mount Everest, 1921-2006: Descriptive study", "Climbing Everest: Who Makes It to the Top? The initial attempt by Mallory and Geoffrey Bruce was aborted when weather conditions prevented the establishment of CampVI. His interest has nothing to do with thrill-seeking. He was said to have attempted to summit Mount Everest by himself with no Sherpa or guide and fewer oxygen bottles than considered normal. Pinned down by a fierce storm, they escaped death by breathing oxygen from a jury-rigged set-up during the night. Two accounts suggest the rates of change are 4mm (0.16in) per year vertically and 3 to 6mm (0.12 to 0.24in) per year horizontally,[36][44] but another account mentions more lateral movement (27mm or 1.1in),[45] and even shrinkage has been suggested.[46]. [271], The use of bottled oxygen to ascend Mount Everest has been controversial. Three survey officers died from malaria while two others had to retire because of failing health. Stratosphere - Wikipedia The 2015 feature film Everest, directed by Baltasar Kormkur, is based on the events of this guiding disaster.[133]. Collecting them isn't easy, but scientists have been known to find microorganisms adrift in the stratosphere. A small team also performed tests on the way to the summit. Some scientists argue that climate change is weakening the stratospheric polar vortex, allowing the ultra-cold winds it normally traps to head south. NASA Studies Cosmic Radiation to Protect High-Altitude Travelers By the end of the 2010 climbing season, there had been 5,104 ascents to the summit by about 3,142 individuals. Yet the use of oxygen was considered so unsportsmanlike that none of the rest of the Alpine world recognised this high ascent rate. Olympic torch relay being taken to the summit of Mount Everest. He chose young Andrew Irvine as his partner.[97]. This is ideal for planes that can fly in this part of the atmosphere. Ten Poles and nine foreigners participated, but ultimately only the Poles remained in the attempt for the summit. They can haul 100kg (220 pounds), have thick fur and large lungs. At one o'clock in the afternoon, the British climber Peter Kinloch was on the roof of the world, in bright sunlight, taking photographs of the Himalayas below, "elated, cheery and bubbly". The Short Answer: What is the stratosphere? In 1978, Reinhold Messner and Peter Habeler made the first ascent of Everest without supplemental oxygen. The tropopause is the atmospheric boundary that demarcates the troposphere from the stratosphere, which are the lowest two of the five layers of the atmosphere of Earth.The tropopause is a thermodynamic gradient-stratification layer, that marks the end of the troposphere, and . It wasnt much of a trip, thoughIt was 32 minutes, wheels up to wheels down. Lpez-Urdiales began investigating balloon stratotourism years before the 2004. [240] On 10 May 2021, a separation line was announced by Chinese authorities to prevent the spread of coronavirus from climbers ascending Nepal's side of the mountain. George Mallory described the use of such oxygen as unsportsmanlike, but he later concluded that it would be impossible for him to summit without it and consequently used it on his final attempt in 1924. This is the most exposed section of the climb, and a misstep to the left would send one 2,400m (7,900ft) down the southwest face, while to the immediate right is the 3,050m (10,010ft) Kangshung Face. His raw data gave an average height of 9,200m (30,200ft) for peak "b", but this did not consider light refraction, which distorts heights. [332], Some press reports suggested that the report of the summit landing was a misunderstanding of a South Col landing, but he had also landed on South Col two days earlier,[333] with this landing and the Everest records confirmed by the FAI. ", reconnaissance expedition by the British in 1921, first documented ascent of Everest in 1953, during the Cenozoic collision of India with Asia, International Union of Geological Sciences, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of people who died climbing Mount Everest, exploratory expedition to Everest through Nepal, 1975 British Mount Everest Southwest Face expedition, 1976 British and Nepalese Army Expedition to Everest. The stratosphere is a layer of Earth's atmosphere. Geoid uncertainty casts doubt upon the accuracy claimed by both the 1999 and 2005 (see 21st-century surveys) surveys.[38]. At approximately 5,500m (18,000ft), Base Camp sees the most activity of all camps on Everest because climbers acclimate and rest there. Everest, Nepal", "The Open Graveyard of Mt. While about 95 per cent of climbers who reach the summit use bottled oxygen in order to reach the top, about five per cent of climbers have summited Everest without supplemental oxygen. [157] This broke the previous record for total summits in year from which was 667 in 2013, and one factor that aided in this was an especially long and clear weather window of 11 days during the critical spring climbing season. Rob Hall, one of the mountaineers who died in the 1996 disaster, had successfully guided 39 clients to the summit before that incident. After 1980 Poles did ten first winter ascents on 8000 metre peaks, which earned Polish climbers a reputation of "Ice Warriors". Camp III (ABC Advanced Base Camp) is situated below the North Col at 6,500m (21,300ft). In the late 1980s, Bob Stupak (1942-2009), a casino owner, perceived the idea for the Stratosphere Tower as an addition to his already thriving Vegas World casino. Just above you, high-energy particles, called cosmic rays, are zooming in from outer space. "[380] For Sherpas living on the slopes of Everest in the Khumbu region of Nepal, Rongbuk Monastery is an important pilgrimage site, accessed in a few days of travel across the Himalayas through Nangpa La. The only place where climbers can defecate without worrying about contaminating the mountain is Base Camp. [181], The quakes trapped hundreds of climbers above the Khumbu icefall, and they had to be evacuated by helicopter as they ran low on supplies. Another significant threat to climbers is low atmospheric pressure . [257], In May 2007, the Caudwell Xtreme Everest undertook a medical study of oxygen levels in human blood at extreme altitude. Three Highest Thrill Rides in the World The Stratosphere also has three thrill rides at the top. [32] In 1975 it was subsequently reaffirmed by a Chinese measurement of 8,848.13m (29,029.30ft). [256] Achieving even this level of performance requires prolonged altitude acclimatisation, which takes 4060 days for a typical expedition. Terms of Use The stratosphere is the second-lowest level in Earth's atmosphere, in fact. [335] The duo subsequently won National Geographic Adventurers of the Year for 2012 for their exploits. [185] By 29 April 2015, the Tibet Mountaineering Association (North/Chinese side) closed Everest and other peaks to climbing, stranding 25 teams and about 300 people on the north side of Everest. In 2010, both sides agreed that the height of Everest is 8,848 m, and Nepal recognises China's claim that the rock height of Everest is 8,844 m.[41] On 8 December 2020, it was jointly announced by the two countries that the new official height is 8,848.86 metres (29,031.7ft). Expeditions usually fly into Lukla (2,860m) from Kathmandu and pass through Namche Bazaar. [158], On 18 April 2014, an avalanche hit the area just below Base Camp 2 at around 01:00 UTC (06:30 local time) and at an elevation of about 5,900 metres (19,400ft). [344] Whereas a Western firm will convince those they deem incapable to turn back, other firms simply give people the freedom to choose. A 2002 survey by consulting firm Futron showed that seeing Earth from space was a big reason for wanting to fly to space, but that potential space tourists were most strongly motivated by the possibility of being a pioneer. threat to climbers is low atmospheric pressure, International Mountaineer of the Year Award, avalanche that swept them off Mount Everest, Chinese plan for a rail tunnel under Mount Everest, List of Mount Everest summiters by number of times to the summit, List of ski descents of Eight-Thousanders, List of tallest mountains in the Solar System, "China's New Road May Clear a Path for More Everest Climbers", "Mount Everest is two feet taller, China and Nepal announce", "Is Mount Everest really the tallest mountain on Earth? A few days later, the Queen gave orders that Hunt (a Briton) and Hillary (a New Zealander) were to be knighted in the Order of the British Empire for the ascent. ", Myrow, P.M., N.C. Hughes, J.W. [252] The rock summit is made of Ordovician limestone and is a low-grade metamorphic rock. Archaeologists Discover Entrance to the Zapotec Underworld Beneath a Church in Mexico. [321] Danger lurks even at base camp though, which was the site where dozens were killed in the 2015 Mount Everest avalanches. [344] Going with a "celebrity guide", usually a well-known mountaineer typically with decades of climbing experience and perhaps several Everest summits, can cost over 100,000 as of 2015. [264] Some factors that affect total mountain lethality include the level of popularity of the mountain, the skill of those climbing, and the difficulty of the climb. The Polish climber Andrzej Zawada headed the first winter ascent of Mount Everest, the first winter ascent of an eight-thousander. There are definitely some things that are doable, says Nelson, but how is that going to impact the bottom line? [327], In 1991, four men in two balloons achieved the first hot-air balloon flight over Mount Everest. [221][222][223] By 28 May, the death toll increased to 11 when a climber died at about 7,900m (26,000ft) during the descent,[205] and a 12th climber missing and presumed dead. The high altitude and a clear, windless day can make the Western Cwm unbearably hot for climbers.[247]. After the Hillary Step, climbers also must traverse a loose and rocky section that has a large entanglement of fixed ropes that can be troublesome in bad weather. "Strat" means layer. [92] Although lower mountains have longer or steeper climbs, Everest is so high the jet stream can hit it. Today, though, the Krmn line is set at what . [1] [50][51][55], Below 7,000m (23,000ft), the Rongbuk Formation underlies the North Col Formation and forms the base of Mount Everest. Finally, in March 1856 he announced his findings in a letter to his deputy in Calcutta. Hilary Brueck and Skye Gould . In 2008, the northeast route was closed by the Chinese government for the entire climbing season, and the only people able to reach the summit from the north that year were athletes responsible for carrying the Olympic torch for the 2008 Summer Olympics. (The Second Step includes a climbing aid called the "Chinese ladder", a metal ladder placed semi-permanently in 1975 by a party of Chinese climbers. [344][346] Tourism contributed 7.9 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in 2019[347] in a country with high unemployment,[348] but Everest is special in that an Everest porter can make nearly double the nation's average wage in a region in which other sources of income are lacking.[349]. Its just an unknown, says MacCallum. Climbers spend a couple of weeks in Base Camp, acclimatising to the altitude. Like its counterpart below, this one moves in a counterclockwise direction. People don't realise the difference between a 20,000-foot [6,100m] mountain and 29,000-foot [8,800m]. [220] In Chinese Tibet, one Austrian climber died from a fall,[200] and by 26 May 2019 the overall number of deaths for the spring climbing season rose to 10. [328] In one balloon was Andy Elson and Eric Jones (cameraman), and in the other balloon Chris Dewhirst and Leo Dickinson (cameraman). Neither company can offer a trip to spacein the United States youre not considered an astronaut until youve cleared an altitude of 50 miles, well above the balloon trips ceilingbut theyre betting that near-space can offer a similar experience. [21][verification needed] In the late 19th century, many European cartographers incorrectly believed that a native name for the mountain was Gaurishankar, a mountain between Kathmandu and Everest.[22]. Granheim skied down to camp III. [107] Tenzing, a Nepali Sherpa who was a citizen of India, was granted the George Medal by the UK. Hence the concept of "base" has even less meaning for Everest than for Mauna Kea or Denali, and the range of numbers for "height above base" is wider. Between 7,000 and 7,600m (23,000 and 24,900ft), the lower part of the North Col Formation consists of biotite-quartz schist intercalated with epidote-quartz schist, biotite-calcite-quartz schist, and thin layers of quartzose marble. World Views price matches XCORs: $75,000. The move may happen by 2024, per officials. Although ozone high up in the stratosphere provides a shield to protect life on Earth, direct contact with ozone is harmful to both plants and animals (including humans). Wang won the International Mountaineer of the Year Award from the Nepal government in June 2014. Back in 2012, when Zero2infinity was the only outfit working on stratospheric tourism, the company talked to Paragon about providing the life support system for its capsule. ", Myrow, P.M., N.C. Hughes, T.S. Eventually, you'll hit the stratosphere's ceiling 31 miles (50 kilometers) up. A 2008 study noted that the "death zone" is indeed where most Everest deaths occur, but also noted that most deaths occur during descent from the summit. [157][201][165] Various records were broken, including a summit by double-amputee Xia Boyu, who undertook his climb after winning a court case in the Nepali Supreme Court. Two days later, the expedition made its second assault on the summit with the second climbing pair: the New Zealander Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay, a Nepali Sherpa climber. To reach Camp IV on the North Col, climbers ascend the glacier to the foot of the col where fixed ropes are used to reach the North Col at 7,010m (23,000ft). Everest's Popularity Is Still Climbing", "Window of Opportunity: Everest Climbing Season Underway", "Everest by the Numbers: The Latest Summit Stats", "The Order of New Zealand(Instituted 1987)", "Mt Tenzing and Mt Hillary: Nepal honours Everest pioneers", "The HJ/31/8 The Japanese Mount Everest Expedition, 19691970", "The Ice Warriors: Poland's Golden Alpine Generation", "The first winter ascent of Mount Everest", "Krzysztof Wielicki Polish Winter Expedition 1980 part 1", "Golden Decade: The Birth of 8000m Winter Climbing", "Poland's 'ice warriors' risk life and limb to be first to summit K2 in winter", "Review: Above the Clouds: The Diaries of a High-Altitude Mountaineer", "How a Russian rescued U.S. alpinists on top of Mt. You realize that the Earth is very fragile; its really a planet. From the North Col, climbers ascend the rocky north ridge to set up Camp V at around 7,775m (25,500ft). [180] Just weeks after the first quake, the region was rattled again by a 7.3 magnitude quake and there were also many considerable aftershocks. Still, both companies plan to pack several backup chutes (those, should they be needed, would come with the customary jolt). [155] The route was closed to foreigners once again in 2009 in the run-up to the 50th anniversary of the Dalai Lama's exile. Other samples were so badly sheared and recrystallised that their original constituents could not be determined. [329] The hot-air balloons were modified to function at up to 12,000m (40,000ft) altitude. Pogue. Atmosphere of Earth Blue light is scattered more than other wavelengths by the gases in the atmosphere, surrounding Earth in a visibly blue layer at the stratosphere, above the clouds of the troposphere, when seen from space on board the ISS at an altitude of 335 km (208 mi) (the Moon is visible as a crescent in the far background).