The biggest challenge may have been protecting the record itself. The stratosphere's very low air levels were certain to reduce the vinyl's insulation from extreme heat -- Carrico had to use both gold plating (a bit like Voyager 1's golden record) and a heat sink-like platter to keep the record distortion-free. He also need a flight computer that would stop playing the record when things got rough, in much the same way as a PC's hard drive stops when it detects a sudden drop. Even the phono cartridge and stylus had to be tough enough to survive the trip.

If you ask White, this wasn't so much a label promo as a bid to "inject imagination and inspiration" into the minds of music fans. Even if you don't believe him, though, the stunt could still serve as a helpful reminder that we humans frequently take Earth's creature comforts for granted. The only way you can enjoy many luxuries in space (or on less forgiving worlds) is to recreate familiar atmospheric conditions.