Skydiver to jump from 25 miles up

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

[mc5cents]

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.

LOL. I dunno. He had an attact of common sense?

[shaggy eel]

,,, I'll see if I can drain one of the largest size Steinlager bottles by the time he connects with the ground! What's life for if you can't face a challenge?

[shaggy eel]

BUMP

[BubbaJunebug]

I smell a Darwin award coming

[shaggy eel]

,,, you know, that ran thru my mind too. I reckon his blood will boil on the way down.

[Zack Nguyen]

I am not in any way a physics expert, so I have a question:

I was under the impression that the fastest any body could fall was 32 feet per second. Is that accurate? If so, how could this man achieve supersonic speeds during his descent?

Thanks!

[Zack Nguyen]

LOL!

[HeadOn]

LOL! I had Tom Petty playing over the headphones, and just after I clicked on this post, he started playing "Free Fallin'"...

BTW, 25 miles will beat the old record by the altitude/distance/height of THIRTY World Trade Centers (30,000 feet)

[ArrogantBustard]

Russian dude who didn't find the fall so safe and smooth

"BLOOD ON THE RISERS"
(Tune of "Glory, Glory, Hallelujah")

He was just a rookie trooper,
And he surely shook from fright
As he checked all his equipment,
And made sure his pack was tight
He had to sit and listen to those awful engines roar,
You ain't gonna jump no more.

"Is everyone happy?", cried the sergeant, looking up,
Our Hero feebly answered "Yes," and then they stood him up,
He leaped right out into the blast, his static line unhooked,
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!

CHORUS:
GORY, GORY, WHAT A HELLUVA WAY TO DIE
GORY, GORY, WHAT A HELLUVA WAY TO DIE
GORY, GORY, WHAT A HELLUVA WAY TO DIE
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!

He counted long, he counted loud, he waited for the shock,
He felt the wind, he felt the clouds, he felt the awful drop,
He jerked his cord, the silk spilled out and wrapped around his legs.
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

The risers wrapped around his neck, connectors cracked his dome
The lines were snarled and tied in knots, around his skinny bones,
The canopy became his shroud, he hurtled to the ground,
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

The days he's lived and loved and laughed kept running through his mind,
He thought about the girl back home, the one he'd left behind,
He thought about the medics and wondered what they'd find,
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

The ambulance was on the spot, the jeeps were running wild,
The medics jumped and screamed with glee, they rolled thier sleeves and smiled
For it had been a week or more since last a 'Chute had failed.
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

He hit the ground, the sound was "SPLAT", his blood went spurting high
His comrades then were heard to say, "A Helluva way to die."
He lay there rolling 'round in the welter of his gore.
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

There was blood upon the risers, there were brains upon the 'Chute
Intestines were a'dangling from his Paratrooper's boots,
They picked him, still in his 'Chute and poured him from his boots.
HE AIN'T GONNA JUMP NO MORE!
(CHORUS)

[shaggy eel]

BUMP

[Poohbah]

No, you are incorrect.

Acceleration from gravity on Earth is 32 feet per second per second.

[HeadOn]

"Supersonic" is actually determined in part by the density, or lack thereof, of the "air". If you are in thin air, sound don't travel too real fast. In outer space, sonic velocity = 0. So, way up, supersonic, ain't so fast.

[JoeGar]

In flight school, I remember one story about a fellow who set a parachute record, while killing himself, after jumping from a balloon over water. As he descended, he released himself from his parachute when he thought he was only a few feet above the water. Because it is difficult to judge height over water without any visual references, he misjudged his altitude and released himself from his 'chute way too soon, killing himself by the fall.

[Centurion2000]

I was under the impression that the fastest any body could fall was 32 feet per second. Is that accurate?

A more accurate term is that you accelerate 32 feet per second per second falling at a once gravity field. After the first second you're falling at 32 ft per second. After the second second you're falling at 64 ft per second. After the third, 96 feet per second.

You will keep accelerating until you encounter enough air resistance to slow you down. Ever notice how fast (slow) a feather falls ? That's because it's terminal velocity in air is a lot lower than another object like say, an anvil.

Put both of those up at 125,000 feet and they will fall at the same rate since 125K feet (after I did some research) is pretty much vaccuum.

Hope it helps

[CaptRon]

Not too long ago the History Channel or the Discovery Channel had a documentary on Operation Man High which featured footage of Kittinger's jump and interviews with him. There was much more to the program than the jump and it was a fascinating program.

[HeadOn]

Yep. I saw a film of an astronaut dropping a feather and a hammer at the same time on the moon. Guess what? It was a tie...

Terminal velocity is the controlling factor for the food drops in Afghanistan - they say that air resistance counters the acceleration of the food packets at about 60 mph.

[airborne]

Haven't seen that since jump school.

AIR-FREAKIN'-BORNE!!!

[Basil314]

Activate the Darwin Awards mobile team for a possible nominee filming.

[TRY ONE]

What, ol' chap, happens to testicles at - 200*F when they hit Ayers Rock, central Australia, from 125,000 ft.?????

[ArrogantBustard]

I'm not a jumper of any sort, but that song has always appealed to my warped sense of humour. If that means I'm some sort of sicko, well... Hope it brought back some fond memories, or something.

AB