Posted on 10/20/2001 4:17:01 PM PDT by aculeus
AN AUSTRALIAN former commando is preparing to leap from a balloon floating in near-space 25 miles above the ground in an attempt to become the world's highest skydiver.
Rodd Millner, 37, hopes to freefall for six minutes before opening his parachute and touching down within 30 miles of Ayers Rock in central Australia. He said: "A man in space has never achieved this, but research indicates the transition will be safe and smooth."
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.
He was inspired by the attempts of the entrepreneur Richard Branson to fly around the world in a balloon. Millner said: "I've always respected those who have pushed the boundaries in life.
"Branson wrote that the last great balloon challenge was to circumnavigate the world. I disagree because, in my opinion, balloons were designed to go up - not around."
Millner plans to ascend in a gondola beneath a specially built balloon that will inflate as it rises until it becomes as wide as two jumbo jets. At 130,000ft - about 25 miles up - he will jump out.
The unofficial world record for the highest skydive was set at 102,000ft by Joe Kittinger, an American, in 1960.
Boeing 747s rarely fly higher than 35,000ft. "Anything beyond 60,000ft is known as the dead zone," said a spokesman for the Space Jump project's scientific team.
"No one really knows what might happen to Rodd. That's why he needs a pressurised spacesuit - he'll be diving from the edge of space."
The main danger is a lack of oxygen. Despite the suit, Millner could lose consciousness, in which case the parachute is equipped with a remote control that should ensure that it opens at a prescribed altitude.
Millner began intensive training for the jump in July. His backers include the Australian Defence Force Academy as well as several media companies.
Millner, a former member of the Australian Army's Reserve 1st Commando Regiment special forces unit, has always yearned for extreme experiences. He has been filmed with leopard sharks while scuba diving off the coast of Thailand, was ranked No 1 in Australian kung fu in the mid-1980s and has snowboarded and abseiled down mountains.
Walt Missingham, the project director, said millions of pounds had already been invested in the jump, from which scientific data will be gleaned on the human response to extreme conditions.
For his part, Millner insists that the dive is not a stunt, but a scientific experiment. "It's extreme science," he said.
LOL. I dunno. He had an attact of common sense?
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!
BTW, 25 miles will beat the old record by the altitude/distance/height of THIRTY World Trade Centers (30,000 feet)
"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)
Acceleration from gravity on Earth is 32 feet per second per second.
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
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.
AIR-FREAKIN'-BORNE!!!
AB
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