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High Dive (Sky Diving from 60 MILES UP!)
Popular Science ^ | 7/1/07 | "Speed Weed"

Posted on 07/01/2007 9:12:20 AM PDT by FormerACLUmember

Sixty miles up, you sit in a chair on the open deck of a small rocket, admiring the stars above, the Earth far, far below. The vacuum beyond your visor is cold, but it would boil your blood if your pressure suit failed. You give your parachute straps a reassuring pat. It’s utterly silent. Just you and your fragile body, hovering alone above the Earth. “Space Diver One, you are go,” crackles a voice in your ear, and you undo your harness and stand up. There’s nothing for it now: You paid a lot of money for this.

You breathe deeply and leap, somersaulting into the void. The mother planet is gorgeous from up here. You barely perceive that it’s rushing up toward you, and your body relaxes. You streak into the atmosphere at 2,500 miles an hour, faster than anyone’s ever gone without a vehicle.

(note) this is a five screen article. Click on the bottom to read all 5 pages.

(Excerpt) Read more at popsci.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; Miscellaneous
KEYWORDS: burnedtoacrisp; extreme; hardcore; insanity; sport
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To: CaptRon

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/42263/the_speed_of_sound/


21 posted on 07/01/2007 9:53:46 AM PDT by Stallone (THE FENCE - Build it, and they won't come)
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To: Stallone

Cool! Either Disovery or the History Channel did a 90 minute doc on project Manhigh that I saw a few years ago.


22 posted on 07/01/2007 9:58:12 AM PDT by CaptRon (Pedicaris alive or Raisuli dead)
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To: FormerACLUmember

How you gonna keep cool enough in that thing when it begins to glow? It would have to be a lot thicker IMHO.


23 posted on 07/01/2007 10:08:05 AM PDT by Sender (Success in warfare is gained by carefully accommodating ourselves to the enemy's purpose.)
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To: FormerACLUmember

Orbital skydiving was the plot device used in a Star Trek novel a while back where Kirk had to get to the surface of a planet ahead of the Klingons without using a shuttlecraft or transporter. Never thought I’d see anything about it outside of sci-fi tho!


24 posted on 07/01/2007 10:09:17 AM PDT by Fire_on_High (I am so proud of what we were...)
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To: FormerACLUmember

Juan Rico unimpressed.


25 posted on 07/01/2007 10:18:31 AM PDT by fzx12345 (ACLU DELENDA EST)
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To: FormerACLUmember

Starship Troopers jump suit.


26 posted on 07/01/2007 10:42:39 AM PDT by glorgau
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To: SevenofNine

27 posted on 07/01/2007 11:03:24 AM PDT by monkapotamus
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To: FormerACLUmember

Buy the ticket, take the ride. The risk is part of the thrill. How badly do you want to play?


28 posted on 07/01/2007 11:18:25 AM PDT by Mountain Troll
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To: BigBlueJon

LOL - LOVE your tag line!


29 posted on 07/01/2007 11:18:35 AM PDT by maine-iac7 ( "...but you can't fool all of the people all the time." LINCOLN)
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To: monkapotamus

lol


30 posted on 07/01/2007 11:20:05 AM PDT by FormerACLUmember (The ideal tyranny is that which is ignorantly self-administered by its victims.)
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To: Mountain Troll

I get scared on extra-long escalators.


31 posted on 07/01/2007 11:21:03 AM PDT by FormerACLUmember (The ideal tyranny is that which is ignorantly self-administered by its victims.)
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To: FormerACLUmember

There would also be a big liability problem if the chute doesn’t open. Imagine the kinetic energy of an adult human falling 60 miles: The landing would be a significant explosion, same principle as the so-called Rods from God.


32 posted on 07/01/2007 11:25:58 AM PDT by denydenydeny (Expel the priest and you don't inaugurate the age of reason, you get the witch doctor--Paul Johnson)
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To: denydenydeny

I think if the chutes don’t open, you boil to death entering at 2500 mph.


33 posted on 07/01/2007 11:29:16 AM PDT by FormerACLUmember (The ideal tyranny is that which is ignorantly self-administered by its victims.)
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To: FormerACLUmember

I would start up a business like this advertising its the path to achieving ultimate guarantee of 72 virgins for Muslims, parachute cost an additional fee.


34 posted on 07/01/2007 11:36:57 AM PDT by Eye of Unk
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To: Eye of Unk

One way or another, you will see God during the jump.


35 posted on 07/01/2007 11:38:10 AM PDT by FormerACLUmember (The ideal tyranny is that which is ignorantly self-administered by its victims.)
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To: FormerACLUmember

Really, what could possibly go wrong?


36 posted on 07/01/2007 11:42:10 AM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: CaptRon

Have always been in awe of the early balloonists - reaching thousands of feet in the 18th century.. amazing.


37 posted on 07/01/2007 11:44:30 AM PDT by Freedom4US
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To: FormerACLUmember
Funny this article comes up today. I am leaving on a 2 day trip. I am an airline pilot and an instructor pilot. I am checking out a new Captain in one of our newest aircraft types. The new Captain is the current record holder for the most jumps in a 24 hour period. She was on the Army Golden Knights team - and she is the jumper for the 2009 attempt at a new high altitude jump record.


38 posted on 07/01/2007 11:45:12 AM PDT by safisoft (Give me Torah!)
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To: FormerACLUmember
As a primary reentry method it has one big problem. What happens to your luggage???

It might be useful as an emergency back up system small enough to be added to other craft, but whether even that would be cost effective would depend on how often you predict the need, on how expensive it is to routinely lug their added mass to and from orbit, and on how high you set the value of the lives otherwise lost. The first can hopefully be estimated, the second is straightforward, but the third is touchy. It shouldn't be computed after the fact, as we too often do with disasters, but before the fact based on economic considerations and on comparisons to other risks we routinely accept. There would no shortage of capable volunteers for dangerous work in space if we lowered the standards to those of the first Cosmonauts instead of the astronomical standards now applied. Yes, we should highly value life, but if we value it too highly we become risk adverse to the point of preventing progress and are left with the often greatly underrated risks of maintaining the status quo.

39 posted on 07/01/2007 11:51:24 AM PDT by JohnBovenmyer
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To: Freedom4US
Really, what could possibly go wrong?

No kidding. Hold my beer....

40 posted on 07/01/2007 12:41:59 PM PDT by Unruly Human
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