Jump From The Stratosphere [Archive] - Giant in the Playground Forums

Riverdance

2012-10-09, 05:24 PM

There is a plan in place to have a man dive from the stratosphere (http://www.redbullstratos.com/). Felix Baumgartener will be lifted 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and jump wearing what is basically a space suit. The jump was postponed today due to weather conditions but will be live-streamed. The link to the live-stream (when it starts again) is in the top left corner of the site. At the time of posting it only shows a video of what they hope will happen.

Dr.Epic

2012-10-09, 06:41 PM

If Looney Toons cartoons have taught me one thing, his Acme parachute will backfire and he'll create a human shaped crater in the ground.

Riverdance

2012-10-09, 06:53 PM

If Looney Toons cartoons have taught me one thing, his Acme parachute will backfire and he'll create a human shaped crater in the ground.

I was reading through the comments coming in and one of them was in spanish. I don't speak spanish too well, but I worked it out as "he will be the next big meat-pancake" :smalltongue:

Dr.Epic

2012-10-09, 06:54 PM

I was reading through the comments coming in and one of them was in spanish. I don't speak spanish too well, but I worked it out as "he will be the next big meat-pancake" :smalltongue:

Great! Now I'm hungry for a big pancake made out of meat.

Ulysses WkAmil

2012-10-09, 07:31 PM

We were going to view this in Chemistry today, but it was canceled as you said. Better safe than having your blood boil at 120,000 feet.

nedz

2012-10-09, 08:15 PM

Well it was too windy for the balloon to take off safely. The envelope is very thin and so could tear.

Ravens_cry

2012-10-10, 01:06 AM

It's been done, well, almost, back in 1960 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kittinger).

factotum

2012-10-10, 01:34 AM

It's been done, well, almost, back in 1960 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kittinger).

Colonel Kittinger is actually part of Felix's team for this jump, and there's a bit of a difference between 102,000 feet and 120,000! (A little over three miles of vertical altitude, in fact :smallsmile:).

Ravens_cry

2012-10-10, 01:57 AM

Colonel Kittinger is actually part of Felix's team for this jump, and there's a bit of a difference between 102,000 feet and 120,000! (A little over three miles of vertical altitude, in fact :smallsmile:).
True, but it's in the same scale and the technologies needed are similar. In both cases, for example, you need a pressure suit of sorts to survive at altitude.

Yora

2012-10-10, 02:03 AM

Kittinger had one. And it broke on the way up. And his equipment was 50 years older, primitive by todays standards.
As fun as the whole thing is, there isn't much of a new technological or human achievement about it. It's repeating of something done before with a slightly higher number involved.

GnomeFighter

2012-10-11, 03:45 AM

It's not really, it's more that it shows the slow changes nowadays. They are still pushing the limit of what is possible. Unfortunately the changes in technology since the 60's have been painfully slow in flight, take supersonic flight for example. The SR71 was built in 1964, Concorde in 1969. Nither of them have been bettered.

Computing makes you thing that 60s tech is primitive, but its really not. We have come on leaps and bounds with computers but the easy engineering work was done well before the 60's.

The first 90% was easy, the last 10% is what makes it a challenge. They are pushing the limits of what is possible now just as much as they were then. For example noone has ever gone supersonic before, which in itself brings a whole new set of problems. Noone is entirely sure of what will happen when he goes through the sound barrier. They THINK he should be ok, but there is a possibility that the pressure waves will throw him around like a rag doll.

Borgh

2012-10-11, 04:24 AM

The whole thing seems to have been postphoned untill sunday at the earliest.

Traab

2012-10-11, 07:42 AM

How will he go supersonic? Will he have some form of propellant pushing him? I only ask because I thought the average terminal velocity of a human was way lower than the sound barrier.

Riverdance

2012-10-11, 08:03 AM

Lycan 01

2012-10-11, 08:33 AM

How will he go supersonic? Will he have some form of propellant pushing him? I only ask because I thought the average terminal velocity of a human was way lower than the sound barrier.

From what I saw on the news the other day, he'll go supersonic almost immediately after jumping, and will be physically unable to breath for 30 seconds. I'm guessing it has to do with the thinner atmosphere, and less friction to slow him down. As he gets closer to the earth, though, he'll slow down, and eventually reach normal Terminal Velocity, where he can safely deploy his parachute.

Hopefully. :smalleek:

I just gotta say, this man is amazing. Not only does he have balls of titanium, but look at his name. "Felix." His name means LUCKY. That's gotta count for something, right? :smallbiggrin:

Honestly, I hope he makes it. Not only because of the scientific advancements it'll make (new safety measures and suit tech for astronauts, research data on human body in supersonic conditions, et cetera), but because this would be an amazing achievement for humanity. Seriously. A human not only surviving a fall from space, but also breaking the sound barrier - WITH HIS BODY. :smallcool:

Riverdance

2012-10-11, 09:08 AM

I just gotta say, this man is amazing. Not only does he have balls of titanium, but look at his name. "Felix." His name means LUCKY. That's gotta count for something, right? :smallbiggrin:

And "Baumgartner." That speaks of...the soothing herbal cream that he will... use to soothe his aching muscles. :smalltongue:

Morph Bark

2012-10-11, 09:14 AM

So, what do I have to do to become the second person to break the sound barrier in free fall? :smalltongue:

GnomeFighter

2012-10-11, 09:51 AM

1) Wait for him to be the first person

2) get a balloon and allot of gear, and start practicing the jump from a low hight first. Perhaps try jumping off a chair then work your way up.

factotum

2012-10-11, 11:24 AM

I only ask because I thought the average terminal velocity of a human was way lower than the sound barrier.

At the sort of altitudes humans usually fall at, yes, the terminal velocity is quite slow. At 120,000 feet, where the air density is something like 2% of what it is at sea level, you can go much faster.

Ravens_cry

2012-10-11, 12:40 PM

I just gotta say, this man is amazing. Not only does he have balls of titanium, but look at his name. "Felix." His name means LUCKY. That's gotta count for something, right? :smallbiggrin:

The trouble when people wish you luck is they rarely say what kind . . .

Cuthalion

2012-10-11, 07:24 PM

Great! Now I'm hungry for a big pancake made out of meat.
:smallmad: You little.... I'm hungry!!!! :smallfurious:

Thiel

2012-10-12, 03:35 AM

It's not really, it's more that it shows the slow changes nowadays. They are still pushing the limit of what is possible. Unfortunately the changes in technology since the 60's have been painfully slow in flight, take supersonic flight for example. The SR71 was built in 1964, Concorde in 1969. Nither of them have been bettered.

Computing makes you thing that 60s tech is primitive, but its really not. We have come on leaps and bounds with computers but the easy engineering work was done well before the 60's.

Actually, technology is changing faster than ever before. We only see a fraction of it because we don't come into contact with it directly, but it's happening nonetheless.
As for the SR71 and the Concorde, true, they haven't been bettered, but not for the reasons you seem to think. The Concorde wasn't economical so there's little incitement to make a better one. The SR71 has been overtaken by other technologies, namely surface to air missiles and satellite surveillance so once again there hasn't been a reason to make a better one.

Riverdance

2012-10-14, 12:13 PM

He's Jumping Now! Click The Link At The Top If You Want To Watch!

Kobold-Bard

2012-10-14, 12:23 PM

If you're in the USA and get the Discovery Chnnel, it's about 1 minute ahead of the Youtube stream.

Plus 4 million viewers is starting to take a toll on Youtube's streaming capabilities.

Gwyn chan 'r Gwyll

2012-10-14, 12:31 PM

Oh man, he's ALMOST at the jumping point. Like, just a few more minutes...

Volthawk

2012-10-14, 01:31 PM

If you're in the USA and get the Discovery Chnnel, it's about 1 minute ahead of the Youtube stream.

Plus 4 million viewers is starting to take a toll on Youtube's streaming capabilities.

Oh...that's why Youtube is going dodgy on me.

HairyGuy4

2012-10-14, 11:41 PM

Freaking sweet is all that comes to my mind.

Kelb_Panthera

2012-10-15, 12:19 AM

Surely he's down by now. How'd it go?

Tebryn

2012-10-15, 12:52 AM

Surely he's down by now. How'd it go?

He lived, broke the sound barrier. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/14/felix-baumgartner-jump-redbull-skydive_n_1965299.html)

Kobold-Bard

2012-10-15, 02:09 AM

He lived, broke the sound barrier. (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/14/felix-baumgartner-jump-redbull-skydive_n_1965299.html)

He actually broke the sound barrier? Oh sweet, initially people were saying the spinning had slowed him too much. Brilliant.

Here's a gif of the jump. Freefall from 24 miles up, even knowing all the prep they'd done it was still a bit of an "oh my god what the hell did I just watch!" moment:

http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/507b07e56bb3f72468000014/672169950.gif

GnomeFighter

2012-10-15, 03:22 AM

Yep, he hit 800 and something MPH, so well over the 690 needed.

Cuthalion

2012-10-15, 08:30 AM

He actually broke the sound barrier? Oh sweet, initially people were saying the spinning had slowed him too much. Brilliant.

Here's a gif of the jump. Freefall from 24 miles up, even knowing all the prep they'd done it was still a bit of an "oh my god what the hell did I just watch!" moment:

http://static1.businessinsider.com/image/507b07e56bb3f72468000014/672169950.gif

:smalleek: W. O. W. That........ is so scary to watch.

Kelb_Panthera

2012-10-15, 08:47 AM

That's the kind of situation where if you sat on a lump of coal before going up, it'd turn into a diamond shortly after jumping off of the pod.

I can remember every instinct in my mind screaming, "We're going to die, you idiot!" the first time I got on a rollercoaster. Something like that could put me on the edge of a melt-down.

I don't do heights.

Morph Bark

2012-10-15, 10:16 AM

That's the kind of situation where if you sat on a lump of coal before going up, it'd turn into a diamond shortly after jumping off of the pod.

Really? How so?

If that's true, I'll be going up there with a bag full.

Bulldog Psion

2012-10-15, 12:50 PM

Does anyone know how far he drifted laterally? I'm pretty sure he didn't move in a straight line from the jump off point to spot where he landed, given winds, gravity, and the fact that he's aiming at a rapidly spinning ball.

And even if this is the second time, it's an amazing, impressive feat. Someone should make a song about it. :smallsmile:

Morph Bark

2012-10-15, 01:36 PM

Someone should make a song about it. :smallsmile:

Definitely. Preferably something with a good bass.

That way, it can also have a great drop.

prufock

2012-10-15, 01:42 PM

Kobold-Bard

2012-10-15, 01:46 PM

I can't be the only one watching that who thought "Man, I would love to do that!" I know, it would probably take lots of training, sponsors, and all that, but it just looks like so much fun.

LOOK HOW HIGH HE IS! That's fantastic.

I doubt you were the only one, but I'm with Kelb_Panthera; I don't handle heights well. The sheer notion that he was that high made me uncomfortable, never mind doing it myself.

Morph Bark

2012-10-15, 01:48 PM

Personally, I'm pretty comfortable with heights. It's just that I'm terribly afraid of falling (or rather, the end of it, or dropping something important).

Maybe successfully skydiving will help me ease that fear though. It'd make me feel more in control at least.

factotum

2012-10-15, 03:58 PM

Does anyone know how far he drifted laterally? I'm pretty sure he didn't move in a straight line from the jump off point to spot where he landed, given winds, gravity, and the fact that he's aiming at a rapidly spinning ball.

Gravity tends to work in straight lines, so that's not going to make him go off course, and the fact the Earth is spinning is largely irrelevant--he was only 24 miles up and in atmosphere, thin though it was, so the overall air movement would be carrying him along with the Earth's spin. They specifically postponed the attempt twice because of unsuitable winds, so presumably the wind on the day he actually made his attempt didn't make much of a difference either!

Kobold-Bard

2012-10-15, 04:05 PM

Kelb_Panthera

2012-10-15, 07:56 PM

Really? How so?

If that's true, I'll be going up there with a bag full.

Certain muscles instinctively clench when fear is first felt and adrenaline starts to surge. The more fear and adrenaline, the more intensely that reflex is felt. The muscles in question are colloquially refered to as the glutes.

Do you catch my drift yet?

GnomeFighter

2012-10-16, 02:32 AM

Gravity tends to work in straight lines, so that's not going to make him go off course, and the fact the Earth is spinning is largely irrelevant--he was only 24 miles up and in atmosphere, thin though it was, so the overall air movement would be carrying him along with the Earth's spin. They specifically postponed the attempt twice because of unsuitable winds, so presumably the wind on the day he actually made his attempt didn't make much of a difference either!

The wind restrictions were to do with wind shear on the ballon, not on the dive. Too much and the baloon could have ripped. Even a tiny wind at that hight could make a big diffrence. There was a thing on top gear a while back where they dropped a VW beetle from 1 mile up. they were saying that a 4 knot wind (not very fast) could alter the distance by (I think) half a mile. From 24 miles it is going to be huge. Thats why they did where they did. Lots and lots of empty space to land in.

prufock

2012-10-16, 07:04 AM

I doubt you were the only one, but I'm with Kelb_Panthera; I don't handle heights well. The sheer notion that he was that high made me uncomfortable, never mind doing it myself.

Personally, I'm pretty comfortable with heights. It's just that I'm terribly afraid of falling (or rather, the end of it, or dropping something important).

Maybe successfully skydiving will help me ease that fear though. It'd make me feel more in control at least.

I would have a problem with being that high without safety gear and training, but with a pressurized suit and a parachute? Bring it on! I did a 200 foot bungee this summer. That was very fun. I'm planning to skydive in 2013, which will be around what - 2 km? That should be even more fun. I can't imagine the thrill of jumping from nearly 20 times that! Whooooooooooooooo...!

Asta Kask

2012-10-16, 07:20 AM

You're all insane.

*shudders*

Kelb_Panthera

2012-10-16, 07:22 AM

You're all insane.

*shudders*

I've been called worse.

Besides, normal is boring anyway. :belkar:

Joe the Rat

2012-10-16, 08:46 AM

A quick Google search comes up with answers ranging from ~40 to ~150 miles between the launch & landing points.

Though that's from Yahoo Answers, so obviously should not be taken as gospel.

Much of that was from the ascent - he was pulled pretty far east by the jet stream, then back around to the south and west higher up.

I did not get a lot done around the house Sunday. It's surprising how enthralling it can be to watch a guy ride in a balloon for two hours.

Tonal Architect

2012-10-16, 09:23 AM

It's not really, it's more that it shows the slow changes nowadays. They are still pushing the limit of what is possible. Unfortunately the changes in technology since the 60's have been painfully slow in flight, take supersonic flight for example. The SR71 was built in 1964, Concorde in 1969. Nither of them have been bettered. (...)

Actually, technology is changing faster than ever before. We only see a fraction of it because we don't come into contact with it directly, but it's happening nonetheless. (...)

I'm really late to the party, but... Basically what Thiel said.

I can't say much on the Concorde (and as far as I know, indeed, it wasn't a economically feasible), but on the SR-71, we are talking military technology here. Those things are only displayed openly as bravado, and even then, the public doesn't get privvy to the machines' specs. The SR-71's top speed has never been confirmed, for instance. If has publicly went as fast as Mach 3, but that's it.

Also, there's talk of hypersonic scramjet-powered aircraft for as late as the 1980s... That's 30 years ago. Military technology has been said to be as far as 50 years ahead of civilian technology (eventually it gets thrown down the civilian market as a way to recoup R&D costs, I presume)... Somebody oughta be testing a hypersonic bomber passenger plane somewhere.

Morph Bark

2012-10-16, 10:21 AM

Certain muscles instinctively clench when fear is first felt and adrenaline starts to surge. The more fear and adrenaline, the more intensely that reflex is felt. The muscles in question are colloquially refered to as the glutes.

Do you catch my drift yet?

Ah! Here I took you literally, rather than as joking. Good play, sir.

You're all insane.

*shudders*

Don't worry. I've been tested.

pendell

2012-10-16, 11:06 AM

Saw-wheet! Congratulations and well done to that man!

:Takes off his virtual hat:

ETA: as to insanity, I defer to The Tick

And, isn't sanity really just a one-trick pony anyway? I mean all you get is one trick, rational thinking, but when you're good and crazy, oooh, oooh, oooh, the sky is the limit.

Truly, Socrates and Confucius have nothing on the Tick.

At any rate, sane, rational people don't build pyramids or sail tiny ships across the ocean in willful defiance of geography (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Columbus#Geographical_considerations) or try to fly. "If God wanted us to fly , he would have given us wings". Get your hoe, do your honest work, look at the ground and take your eyes off the sky.

Such a way of life is prudent , respectable and something I want no part of.

:Looks at his cubicle life, and groans:

Respectfully,

Brian P.
Respectfully,

Brian P.

Mercenary Pen

2012-10-17, 11:44 AM

Certain muscles instinctively clench when fear is first felt and adrenaline starts to surge. The more fear and adrenaline, the more intensely that reflex is felt. The muscles in question are colloquially refered to as the glutes.

Do you catch my drift yet?

Slight issue with your plan- coal isn't pure enough carbon- try graphite instead...