First vinyl record played in the stratosphere

The first vinyl record to be played in the stratosphere is 'A Glorious Dawn'. The feat was achieved by Third Man Records (USA) using a specially designed turntable called the Icarus Craft, at an altitude of 28.78 km (17.88 mi), on 2 July 2016. The Icarus Craft, a "space-proof" turntable, was designed by Kevin Carrico and launched, with the assistance of Students and Teachers in Near Space (SATINS), from Marsing, Idaho, USA, using a high-altitude balloon. The record played, "A Glorious Dawn", was the three-millionth record pressed by Third Man Records. It features the voices of Carl Sagan and Stephen Hawking, arranged to music by John Boswell as part of the Symphony of Science project.

On 2 July 2016, a gold-plated 12-inch pressing of Carl Sagan's (USA, 1934–96) "A Glorious Dawn" (2009) played repeatedly on a "space-proof" turntable was attached to a high-altitude balloon and sent into the stratosphere from near Marsing in Idaho, USA, to mark the seventh anniversary of Third Man Records (USA). After a 94,413-ft (28,777-m), 1-hr 21-min ascent in temperatures reaching -60°F (-51°C), the balloon burst and the vessel, dubbed "Icarus", returned to Earth with the record still spinning on the turntable.

There was no physical damage to the turntable (designed by engineer Kevin Carrico) after it crash-landed in a field. Once it was located, project leaders set the needle on the record again and it played as normal, having withstood turbulence and the cold on its journey into the stratosphere.

The total flight time was 1 hr 53 min 4 sec.

The idea was three years in the making. "It's not rocket science, it's balloon science," said one of the project leaders in a video uploaded to YouTube on 30 July 2016 showing the entire journey from launch to landing.

"Our main goal from inception to completion of this project was to inject imagination and inspiration into the daily discourse of music and vinyl lovers," said Third Man Records founder Jack White. "Combining our creative impulses with those of discovery and science is our passion, and even on the scale that we are working with here, it was exhilarating to decide to do something that hasn't been done before and to work towards its completion. And, it brings us great fulfillment to pay tribute to the incredible scientist and dreamer that Carl Sagan was. We hope that in meeting our goal we inspire others to dream big and start their own missions, whatever they may be."

The gold-plated "A Glorious Dawn" was the three-millionth record pressed by Third Man Records, the label founded by White Stripes frontman Jack White in 2001. The Dead Weather, The Raconteurs, Laura Marling, Beck, Seasick Steve, Johnny Cash and Loretta Lynn are a few of the acts who have released music on the label.

Carl Sagan was a renowned astrophysicist whose voice was sampled alongside Stephen Hawking's on "A Glorious Dawn", released by Third Man Records as a 7-inch single in November 2009 to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Sagan's birth. The "Symphony of Science" video has been viewed more than 10.5 million times on YouTube. Sagan's 13-part documentary series Cosmos (1980) holds the record for winning the first Emmy award for special effects.