Unlike flying down lower in the atmosphere like most airplanes, some of the visual sights you see up there are incredible. In daytime, the sky looks a lot different up there. Above all the haze and everything in the atmosphere, the sky is a lot darker, almost purple. It is really an amazing sight. Every once in a while during a mission, you just have to stop and really take a look around and appreciate what you've got up there.
Night time is a little different also.
They just carpet the sky. Most people just want that one special challenge. The challenge of flying in a different environment like the space suit, and still flying a real airplane, high in the atmosphere, and doing an important mission. In addition to supporting Operation Southern Watch, U-2s are engaged in operations around the world. Home stationed at Beale AFB, Calif., squadron members constantly deploy around the world, averaging about 160 days away from home annually.