This supersonic jet needed a radiation meter to monitor cosmic storms because it flew twice as high as commercial aircraft at a speed of 2,470 km/h, near the edge of space

British-French supersonic jet Concorde flew so close to the edge of space that it had to carry a special radiation meter to monitor dangerous cosmic storms. If the cockpit instrument sounded an alarm, the only way pilots could protect wealthy passengers from high levels of space radiation was to leave Mach 2 behind and descend into the thicker air below.