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Matt B

Skydiver Aims to Jump From 120,000 Feet, Break the Sound Barrier | Wired Science | Wire... - 0 views

www.wired.com/...0-feet-break-the-sound-barrier

shared by Matt B on 31 Mar 10 - Cached
  • Baumgartner, the Red Bull star who has done everything from crossing the English Channel during free fall using a carbon fiber wing, to BASE jumping off the tallest buildings in the world, is planning to ascend to the stratosphere in a pressurized capsule carried by a massive helium balloon. Once reaching 120,000 feet, the plan is to depressurize the capsule, open the door and step off.
    • Mike Sanders
      Mike Sanders on 31 Mar 10
       
      Baumgartner is attempting to set the world record for highest skydive. He also aims to break the sound barrier while descending.
    • Guillermo Santamaria
      Guillermo Santamaria on 31 Mar 10
       
      you need to redirect your comments you place in the reader group to the discussion group.
  • The new suit being used by Baumgartner is made by David Clark, the same company that made Kittinger’s suit as well as full pressure suits for astronauts and military pilots flying at the edge of the atmosphere in aircraft such as the SR-71 Blackbird, the U-2 and the X-15. The suits provide an artificial atmosphere that allows pilots to survive in what would otherwise be a a deadly environment.
  • ...7 more annotations...
    • Mike Sanders
      Mike Sanders on 31 Mar 10
       
      The height Baumgartner will be at is normally uninhabitable without proper equipment. The suit he is going to wear is going to be similar to that of an astronaut's.
    • Guillermo Santamaria
      Guillermo Santamaria on 31 Mar 10
       
      you need to redirect your comments you place in the reader group to the discussion group.
  • Another potential problem is maneuvering during free fall. In order to achieve Mach 1, Baumgartner will have to adjust his position during free fall and a normal suit is too restrictive to allow sufficient freedom of movement. One of the worries is what would happen if a person were to begin tumbling.
    • Guillermo Santamaria
      Guillermo Santamaria on 31 Mar 10
       
      Mike you need to redirect your comments you place in the reader group to the discussion group.
    • Mike Sanders
      Mike Sanders on 31 Mar 10
       
      There are several things that can go wrong with the jump, many of which being potentially lethal. One is that Baumgartner wants to break the sound barrier, to do so he must be able to maneuver properly; an average suit would not allow him this ability to make any change if needed.
  • So far the Red Bull Stratos team has tested the new suit in wind tunnels, low pressure chambers and several jumps from 25,000 feet. Baumgartner has been fine tuning his “delta” position that he will use to achieve the supersonic jump.
    • Mike Sanders
      Mike Sanders on 31 Mar 10
       
      Baumgartner has been successful in his first few practices with the suit. The team working with him is taking everything slow, trying to make sure that everything goes right.
    • Guillermo Santamaria
      Guillermo Santamaria on 31 Mar 10
       
      Mike you need to redirect your comments you place in the reader group to the discussion group.
  • Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner has been working with a company that makes space suits for astronauts in an effort to pull off a record-setting jump with the Red Bull Stratos project that he hopes will also lead to safer flight suits for future astronauts.
    • Mike Sanders
      Mike Sanders on 31 Mar 10
       
      Baumgartner not only wants to achieve success for himself, but for future space exploration.
    • Guillermo Santamaria
      Guillermo Santamaria on 31 Mar 10
       
      you need to redirect your comments you place in the reader group to the discussion group.
  • Ebullism can strike at 19,000 feet, but at 120,000 feet, the outside air pressure is less than one pound per square inch, so vapor bubbles in the blood expand causing the blood to basically boil.
    • Mike Sanders
      Mike Sanders on 31 Mar 10
       
      Ebullism is one of several potential problems with the jump. If the suit malfunctions mid-jump, Baumgartner will be in danger and there is a high chance of him losing his life.
  • No person has ever broken the sound barrier during free fall, though it is thought if a person were forced to bail out of a spacecraft at altitudes much higher than 120,000 feet, they would achieve supersonic speeds involuntarily. Baumgartner wants to help researchers better understand the possible affects of supersonic speeds on a person falling through the atmosphere as well as the affects on the suit.
    • Mike Sanders
      Mike Sanders on 31 Mar 10
       
      Baumgartner wants to be the first individual to break the sound barrier in free fall and hopes to give researchers some new evidence of affects on the suit and person themselves.
    • Guillermo Santamaria
      Guillermo Santamaria on 31 Mar 10
       
      Mike you need to redirect your comments you place in the reader group to the discussion group.
Taylor Dickson

Body Trace - 0 views

www.bodytrace.com

Skydiving

shared by Taylor Dickson on 19 Apr 10 - No Cached
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