in space no one can hear you fall

[Darth Rock&Roll]

Kittenger achieved 614mph with a stabilizer chute.

maybe the austrian want's to go higher so he can break the sound barrier without the stabilizer and before he hits the thicker layers of atmosphere which will inevitably increase the drag and therefore slow him down as he moves to terminal velocity.

It is a very novel way to die though.

[Dmitri]

terminal velocity

Exactly.


Well, if he doesn't do it, who will? SOMEONE has to do it, right?

But in either case, if he happens to become a contender for Darwin Awards (which I really hope he won't i.e. I'm hoping he'll live), that would be by far the coolest of them all, ever.

[affa]

Put down the damn Red Bull already.

[Darthwing Teorist]

[Steve James]

Kittenger wasn't trying to set a speed record. In fact, much of the mission was an f-up. They were testing human limits, and it was a secret; so, if he had died --which, btw, he almost did-- he would have been as well know as most test pilots. Personally, I think this guy will survive. It's just a matter of a functioning pressure suit ... that won't ignite or steam him like a lobster. Those, and providing air --in the correct ratios adjusted for altitude-- are just (difficult) technological issues. A space suit costs a couple million, but neither it, nor the astronaut, would survive a drop from space. I think the aeronautics agency gave up (afaik) on raising Kittenger's limit because they didn't see any point. NASA has worked on escape pods that work for aborted launches.
Imo, a multi-occupant escape pod is a better alternative to an individual jump, if only for psychological reasons. At any rate, nobody can say that this guy --if he jumps-- has more cujones than average. He is also way too smart to deserve a Darwin Award. That'd go to a guy who sets up his own balloon in the backyard and goes up as high as he can with an oxygen bottle stolen from the dentist's office, wearing a Northface jacket, using a surplus parachute.
... Don't laugh.

[Dmitri]

a guy who sets up his own balloon in the backyard and goes up as high as he can with an oxygen bottle stolen from the dentist's office, wearing a Northface jacket, using a surplus parachute.
... Don't laugh.

So how did it go Steve, landed OK?

[Steve James]

Balloon capsized. He got smothered on the ground

[Dmitri]

Damn... I was trying to make a joke implying it was you who did that... But someone actually did that?! Man...

[Steve James]

Don't feel bad, it was just an urban legend. It was told with the one about the man who used helium balloons tied to a lawn chair ... went up so high he almost froze. He landed safely. But, you don't want to read about the history of ballooning and not have a sense of humor ... cause it can get pretty grim.

See Larry Walters

"Lawnchair Larry" or the "Lawn Chair Pilot", (April 19, 1949 – October 6, 1993) was an American truck driver[1] who took flight on July 2, 1982 in a homemade aircraft. Dubbed Inspiration I, the "flying machine" consisted of an ordinary patio chair with 45 helium-filled weather balloons attached to it. Walters rose to an altitude of over 15,000 feet (4,600 m) and floated from his point of origin in San Pedro, California into controlled airspace near Los Angeles International Airport. His flight was widely reported in many newspapers.

[Darthwing Teorist]

Kittenger achieved 614mph with a stabilizer chute.

maybe the austrian want's to go higher so he can break the sound barrier without the stabilizer and before he hits the thicker layers of atmosphere which will inevitably increase the drag and therefore slow him down as he moves to terminal velocity.

It is a very novel way to die though.

That is roughly 988 km/h. The speed of sound at that altitude is 1116.35604 km/h.

[Steve James]

Did someone say that he got the idea form the latest Star Trek movie?