OT: Supersonic skydiving

[bill_f]

http://www.space.com/14484-red-bull-stratos-supersonic-space-jump.html

[AAFO_WSagar]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

If he can do it, he'll become the first person to break the sound barrier outside of an aircraft

Pretty sure Joe Kittenger was the first.....

[LD1]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

Pretty sure Joe Kittenger was the first.....

He didn't break the sound barrier on his jump though. He is actually part of the project, there is all kinds of info on this site.

http://www.redbullstratos.com/science/

[AirDOGGe]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

I've been waiting years for this attempt to happen. I wonder if the air will be thick enough to render some form of visible shock wave or other visible artifact?


After this, the only milestone I have left on my list to look forward to is a guy in a jet-propelled winged suit completing a full lap at Stead.

[MustangFan]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

After this, the only milestone I have left on my list to look forward to is a guy in a jet-propelled winged suit completing a full lap at Stead.

Heck, why stop at one? This has the makings of a whole new class. I bet you could find enough crazies to fill out a field.

And Hinton could fly the pace suit!

[Mluvara]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

I was part of this project in 2009-2010 when the effort was first launched and then halted. Quite the intriguing program to say the least. There are a lot of challenges that lay with the whole operation of safely getting the capsule launched to altitude. Joe Kittinger is involved with the project and is the one who currently holds the altitude record, but did not break the sound barrier. There is a huge difference in going to 100,000ft and 120,000ft.

Kinda funny. I have promotional coins, patches, and materials dated 2009 when they thought it was going to go off that same year. Was fun to be a part of, but I don't think I've ever lost that much sleep worrying about the fact that the equipment I was responsible for had someone's life hinging on it!

Michael

[LD1]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

During your time with the project, were you around Felix much? He strikes me as pretty intense, just from seeing some of the videos of him. I can't even fathom how it would feel to be in his shoes, looking at doing this. He, and Kittinger to, must have balls of steel.

[Mluvara]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

I was working on the balloon and avionics side of things for the launch effort, so I was not directly around them much. I did meet Kittinger and Felix a couple of times during program meetings. Definitely two unique individuals.

If you read some of the books and stories on Kittinger, he seemed to break all the rules when he was doing things and managed to live...

One certainly needs to know the risks involved (certainly apparent), but also the ton of small details that need to be followed in order to be successful. Moving around in such a suit is no easy task!

Michael

[LD1]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

Thanks Michael. I've been following this casually since I first heard about it, and was disappointed by the legal delay. I'm glad to see it proceeding again. I bought this book about Kittinger from Amazon, but have yet to read it.

http://www.amazon.com/Come-Up-Get-Autobiography-Kittinger/dp/0826348041/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1328749038&sr=1-1

[AirDOGGe]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

Sounds like a great book. I may have to seek out a copy myself:

Book Description:
A few years after his release from a North Vietnamese prisoner-of-war camp in 1973 Colonel Joseph Kittinger retired from the Air Force. Restless and unchallenged, he turned to ballooning, a life-long passion as well as a constant diversion for his imagination during his imprisonment. His primary goal was a solitary circumnavigation of the globe, and in its pursuit he set several ballooning distance records, including the first solo crossing of the Atlantic in 1984.

But the aeronautical feats that first made him an American hero had occurred a quarter of a century earlier. By the time Kittinger was shot down in Vietnam in 1972, his Air Force career was already legendary. He had made a name for himself at Holloman Air Force base near Alamagordo, New Mexico, as a test pilot who helped demonstrate that egress survival for pilots at high altitudes was possible in emergency situations.

Ironically, Kittinger and his pre-astronaut colleagues would help propel Americans into space using the world's oldest flying machine - the balloon. Kittinger's work on Project Excelsior - which involved daring high-altitude bailout tests - earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross long before he earned a collection of medals in Vietnam.

Despite the many accolades, Kittinger's proudest moment remains his free fall from 102,800 feet during which he achieved a speed of 614 miles per hour (988 kph). In this long-awaited autobiography, Kittinger joins author Craig Ryan to document an astonishing career.

[1:1 Scale]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

Kinda funny. I have promotional coins, patches, and materials dated 2009 when they thought it was going to go off that same year. Was fun to be a part of, but I don't think I've ever lost that much sleep worrying about the fact that the equipment I was responsible for had someone's life hinging on it!

Michael

Does the coin look like this?

Go this one on ebay for $479, hope I didn't over pay

[Mluvara]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

Does the coin look like this?

Go this one on ebay for $479, hope I didn't over pay

Similar, but different. Were you involved or did you really buy it?

I just have one coin, one patch, and a "field" kit that they gave us.

Michael

[1:1 Scale]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

I built the parachute harness/container system that Felix will be using. We were brought in late 2009 after some issues with the previous vendor. I actually made some changes to it last Friday

I'd LIKE to say that I'll be saving Felix's life, but pretty much everyone involved has a hand in that with a project of this magnitude

[Race5]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

I built the parachute harness/container system that Felix will be using. We were brought in late 2009 after some issues with the previous vendor. I actually made some changes to it last Friday

I'd LIKE to say that I'll be saving Felix's life, but pretty much everyone involved has a hand in that with a project of this magnitude

Awesome! As soon as I finish my AFF course I'm getting a Velocity / Infinity rig from ya'll.

[1:1 Scale]

Re: OT: Supersonic skydiving

Sweet! Should I hold onto some purple and neon green fabric for you?

Where are you jumping?