High Diving Escapades

Only 3rd to dive from above 70K ft.

[tangor]

[theregister.co.uk...]

Okay, this officially qualifies as a$$ pucker... :)

[edited by: incrediBILL at 1:07 am (utc) on Mar 17, 2012]

[rocknbil]

In stratosphere, no one can hear you scream . . . holy crap. 364 MPH.

[J_RaD]

and he wants to go higher? One day he'll jump and not fall.

[tangor]

Have to go a bit. On August 16, 1960, Joe Kittinger jumped from Excelsior III at 102,800 feet (31,300 m), reaching a maximum speed of 614 miles per hour (988 km/h) before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m).

And...

Kittinger is currently advising Felix Baumgartner (hero of OP's post) on a planned free-fall from 120,000 feet (about 36,000m).

Repeat... a$$ pucker!

What might be more fun (if space suits are adequate) is a jump from ISS!

[engine]

That is serious skydiving!

I would have thought that re-entry heat will also be a problem as he slows from those crazy speeds.

[J_RaD]

Have to go a bit. On August 16, 1960, Joe Kittinger jumped from Excelsior III at 102,800 feet

yes yes, I do remember seeing that.. guy jumping out of a capsule. I was positive this wasn't higher then that but didn't know so i kept shut.

I would have thought that re-entry heat will also be a problem as he slows from those crazy speeds.

Im guessing smaller less aerodynamic objects don't have this issue as they slow down from the friction of air at an even speed, its the ones to big or to slippery that have this heat problem. Maybe if they were coming in from 10,000 miles away they'd burn up but they aren't falling form an alt that doesn't give them reasonable slow down time.

gota think stuff coming from space is sometimes going 20,000 mph.

[tangor]

The ISS jump I suggested is poppycock... any jump from there is already at 17,000-ish mph orbital velocity which would have to be killed before descent. Even if the current jet packs were capable (they aren't), the daring astronaut would perish from lack of air (hours required to retard orbit) before descent. Aside: read Robert A Heinlein's STARSHIP TROOPERS (1959) for a "possible" version of human insertion to planet from orbit with significantly better tools/equipment than currently available...

That said, a balloon jump from 120,000 feet (22ish miles, 36.5ish kilometers) above the surface is a pretty big step. Me... I think twice going up and down stairs!

But from that height there's no "flaming entry"... not enough speed can be attained and the atmosphere is already too dense to allow incendiary descent.