Skydiver to jump from 25 miles up

The Sunday Times (UK) ^ | October 21 2001 | Paul Ham, Sydney

[Henry F. Bowman]

Interesting facts:

The jumper will achieve supersonic speeds.

A key risk is that he starts to spin (on a vertical axis) faster and faster, until the centrifugal G-forces kill him. (The blood vessels in one's head might essentially explode.)

[Doctor Stochastic]

Did they bury him there, or is that just where he landed?

Did his head explode? Is it buried with him? Is it scattered over the steppes?

[Poohbah]

Sounds like this guy did a few too many HAHO jumps without an oxygen bottle...

[Centurion2000]

The jumper will achieve supersonic speeds.

A key risk is that he starts to spin (on a vertical axis) faster and faster, until the centrifugal G-forces kill him. (The blood vessels in one's head might essentially explode.)

At the risk of sounding stupid .... wouldn't air resistance even at 60,000 feet be enough to keep him subsonic ?

If not, well, falling never killed anyone .... it's the deceleration that's the b!tch.

[RightWhale]

The greatest danger is that the air valve will freeze. Even if you leave the gondola right away, it is still several minutes to breathable air. A man with an iron constitution might survive, but with permanent nerve and brain damage.

[JenB]

Geronimo!

Ancient Druid saying meaning "Let's get out of here even if we have to walk". (Rocket Ship Galileo, Robert A. Heinlien.)

[Henry F. Bowman]

wouldn't air resistance even at 60,000 feet be enough to keep him subsonic ?

The air resistance above that level is essentially nil, for practical purposes. Where there is not enough to breath, there is not enough to slow you down much (and there is not even enough to breathe at 30,000, with much less at 60,000, and 120,000 almost in space.)

[mombonn]

He sounds like a shoo-in for the Darwin Awards.

[Dengar01]

Sounds like the guy has the brain of a liberal. Not very smart to jump from that high. Its not extreme bravery its extreme stupidity. With the pressure and and extreme speed I wouldn't be surprised at all if his head exploded. That is extreme nonsense to do something like that.

[itsinthebag]

"The unofficial world record for the highest skydive was set at 102,000ft by Joe Kittinger, an American, in 1960.

Whatever happened to Joe? Did he suffer any kind of brain damage I wonder.

[SamAdams76]

Personally I think this is a dumb stunt. I don't think he'll make it. Might as well be jumping from the moon.

[JoeGar]

Remember when Evil Kneivel planned to jump out of a jet at 40,000 feet without a parachute and attempt to land on a large haystack? He planned to wear a skydiver suit that had panels sewn under the arms that would help him slow down to 60 m.p.h. He also planned to have his spleen removed because his greatest threat would be a burst spleen. I don't know why he dropped the project.

[Coop]

A key risk is that he starts to spin (on a vertical axis) faster and faster, until the centrifugal G-forces kill him. (The blood vessels in one's head might essentially explode.)

Very interesting! Never even thought of that.

[Diamond]

... will have a camera attached to his body so that millions of viewers can watch live on television.

Well, at least if his head explodes we will get to see it on TV.

Cordially,

[Zathras]

Joe Kittinger was the first man to go supersonic without a plane.

[socal_parrot]

Rule of thumb from from any movie I have seen where in someone plummets to their death-

Never jump/fall from a height where the distance of the fall is longer than the length of a scream.

[RichInOC]

...and the aboriginal government will sue Millner's estate for the pain and suffering he caused them when he desecrated Ayers Rock...not to mention the costs of cleaning him off it.

[Rain-maker]

Maybe he'll burn up on re-entry. Look for the ball of fire...LOL

[NMC EXP]

Kittinger, who jumped from 102K, had a small drogue chute to maintain some degree of stability until his main opened, as I recall. Don't know how there would be enough air (if any) that high to inflate a drogue.

My skydiving instructors taught us that "Out of 10,000 feet of fall, it's the last half inch that hurts the most".

Their answer to the question "what happens if neither chute opens" was "Cross your right leg over your left leg, raise your arms and cross the right over the left, and fall feet first." What will that do?" Response; "It'll make easier to screw you out of the ground." What a fun loving bunch.

Regards

J.R.

[paul51]

He appears undaunted by warnings from scientists that the descent through near-space could be so fast that his head will explode. Millner plans to make the jump early next year wearing a pressurised spacesuit, and will have a camera attached to his body so that millions of viewers can watch live on television.

Just in case, don't use one of those cameras attached to you helmut. It might get broken.