Lost in the Stratosphere

The high altitude balloon flight seen in this film was real, and footage from the actual preparation and flight is used here. The National Geographic Society and the US Army collaborated on the mission. There were two flights, Explorer 1 and Explorer 2, launched in 1934 and 1935 respectively. Explorer 1 almost lead to disaster when the balloon burst and the hydrogen gas caught fire. The three men in the capsule were able to escape via parachute, the third man escaping just barely in time, at a mere 500 feet above the ground. The second flight used helium and was more rigorously checked for safety. Explorer 2 successfully reached a height of 72,395 feet, a record that stood for twenty years. The two-man crew were the first humans to see the curvature of the Earth, and gathered a large amount of scientific data on the stratosphere. The balloon landed safely without the dramatic elements seen in this film.

Immediately after Soapy and Woody fly through hours of heavy downpour, described as the "worst storm in years", Soapy drives into town in his convertible and leaves it with the top down. The weather is fine.