[Llarry]

A bit more U-2 geekery if nobody objects...

A pilot and a journalist suited up for a ride to 70,000 feet.

The pilot's view from altitude.

And a photo of one of the two National Aeronautics and Space Administration's ER-2s.

And a question: How high can the U-2S fly? I do not know, but I do know that early U-2s could exceed 70,000 feet and that improvements over time have increased that ceiling. On the other hand, loading the aircraft up with sensors adds weight and weight is the enemy of altitude. So those who know could tell us but then they'd have to kill us. My guess is that a minimally-equipped U-2S without all the heavy sensor pods etc could easily top 75,000 feet but I don't know. But altitude is not the objective -- intelligence collection is, and that requires all the electronic doo-dads.