in space no one can hear you fall

[Teazer]

Skydiver Will Attempt Record-Breaking Freefall From the Edge of Space

"There are men, there are brave men, and then there's an Austrian skydiving expert named Felix Baumgartner, who later this year will take a flight in a stratospheric balloon more than 120,000 feet up and attempt to become the first person to break the sound barrier (approximately 690 mph) in a freefall.

On January 22, Baumgartner and several members of the Red Bull Stratos team publicly unveiled for the first time the details of their "Mission to the Edge of Space," for which Baumgartner is the Test Jump Pilot.

According to the company, "This is very much a step into the unknown; no freefall -- let alone a supersonic one -- has been successfully completed from the target altitude.""

http://www.asylum.com/2010/01/25/skydiver-felix-baumgartner-red-bull-mission-to-the-edge-of-space/?icid=main|main|dl8|link6|http%3A%2F%2Fwww.asylum.com%2F2010%2F01%2F25%2Fskydiver-felix-baumgartner-red-bull-mission-to-the-edge-of-space%2F

[cerebus]

Well, I suppose there are less interesting ways to die...

[Interloper]

Well, I suppose there are less interesting ways to die...

And saner ones, too.

[Bhassler]

If he really wants a cool death he should have Chuck Norris sidekick him to 120,000 feet. I would be a bit of a challenge for Chuck, but I'm sure he could pull his kick a little bit...

[Ian]

This is only 17,200 feet higher than the previous space jump, and that was in 1960.

I'm sure this dude will be fine.

[Steve James]

only 17,200 feet higher

[Steve James]

Space Diving Could be the Future for Astronauts and Extreme Dare-Devils

Does the idea of leaping out of a spaceship with just a specially adapted spacesuit and parachute thrill you? Thanks to a group of space scientists, the day you find yourself awaiting the order to jump 120,000 feet above Earth could be closer than you think. And it's not just an idea for extreme sports fans, as the two men behind the idea reckon that Space Diving could be used as a safety function for astronauts whose ship has malfunctioned.

Orbital Outfitters, run by Rick Tumlinson, a longtime civilian space booster who founded the Space Frontier Foundation, and Jonathan Clark, a former NASA flight surgeon, has already started to develop the equipment it thinks is needed to achieve the feat. Clark, whose wife Laurel perished in 2003's Columbia disaster, believes that the smaller the body is attempting re-entry, the less the chance it has of breaking up—hence the thinking behind space dives being used for NASA emergencies.

The 120,000-foot jump is seen as mere baby (space) steps, as Rick and Jonathan are aiming to make the 150-mile survival jump reality. This would involve falling at speeds of over 2,500 mph before a special drogue chute opens to stabilize their descent on entry to the Earth's outer atmosphere.

By the time the jumper reaches our planet's denser atmosphere, he or she will be travelling at more manageable 120mph. Then the conventional chute opens, allowing the brave individual a more-or-less normal landing back on land, and it's back to the bar for a celebratory beer with your friends—that is, if you landed close by where you told them you'd meet up.

High Dive [Popular Science via Sci-Fi Tech]

[fuga]

[Ian]

only 17,200 feet higher

When you're falling from hundreds of thousands of feet, I wonder if an extra few tens of thousands makes a big difference. At 102,800 feet or 120,000 feet, it's still stratosphere.

Not that I don't have massive respect for the guy! I just don't think he's going to die.

Thanks for the heads up on space diving. I love our planet and would jump at the chance to see it from up there.

[roger hao]

Any body ever see "The Man Who Skied Mt Everest"?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PsR3eZzCfY

[Doc Stier]

Any body ever see "The Man Who Skied Mt Everest"?

[Doc Stier]

Astro-Zen Koan:

If a man screams in the stratosphere, and no one is there to hear it, is there an actual sound?

[Bill]

[GrahamB]

LOL!

[Bär]

Put down the damn Red Bull already.