Red Bull: man to jump from 120,000 feet above earth on October 8th

Comments

• mindrobots Posts: 6,506

  2012-10-04 10:32 edited 2012-10-04 10:32

  That Huey, Dewey, Louie thread has him a bit choked up.
• erco Posts: 20,261

  2012-10-04 14:19 edited 2012-10-04 14:19

  Ken:
  
  If can get to 121,000 feet with a lawn chair, some weather balloons, a scuba tank (for air and ballast) a pellet gun ( to shoot balloons) and a big Parallax logo, do I win a Boebot or something?
• Ken Gracey Posts: 7,410

  2012-10-04 14:37 edited 2012-10-04 14:37

  Of course, Eric! We can maybe even launch you from the next Parallax EXPO, live and in front of several thousand people.
  
  BTW, we're starting that planning now and expecting you to be present, on the ground or in the air
• erco Posts: 20,261

  2012-10-04 14:48 edited 2012-10-04 14:48

  I'm good for it! Next Expo I'm gonna actually come inside the building and see all the fun stuff I missed this year, where I was out in the tents with my catapults and flamethrowers!
• rod1963 Posts: 752

  2012-10-04 17:52 edited 2012-10-04 17:52

  Interesting jump, Kittinger - the man who currently holds the record is advising Baumgartner the guy who is attempting to surpass Kittinger's record.
  
  It's quite dangerous.Need a pressure suit otherwise the jumper and a host of other gear to pull it off. Not to mention the jumper's speed may exceed the speed of sound.
• Matt Gilliland Posts: 1,406

  2012-10-05 08:39 edited 2012-10-05 08:39

  I'm good for it! Next Expo I'm gonna actually come inside the building and see all the fun stuff

  Don't count on it son...your presence is required in front of hundreds...nay, thousands! of young minds at next years Expo - ready to explore the depths of your cavernous mind.
  
  You're already penciled in... resistance is futile...
  
  -TheBorg
• LoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537

  2012-10-05 09:36 edited 2012-10-05 09:36

  While people often won't do just anything for money, I've long suspected that a person will do just about anything for other reasons, such as:
  
  1. out of boredom
  2. on a dare
  3. for instant fame
  
  This has elements of all three of those. The previous record holder almost didn't survive the even as he apparently got frozen to the seat as he was going up. Murphy's Law is always looking for someone that is trying to do something that has never been done before.
  
  Bored people can actually be a great danger to themselves and others. I done some of the most stupidest things in my own life due to boredom, but I am not about to share the details.
• Humanoido Posts: 5,770

  2012-10-13 07:04 edited 2012-10-13 07:04

  Due to weather, this was rescheduled repeatedly and is currently set to launch in 22 hours from now to go up 23 miles. Anyone watching? About seven miles is the highest the Big Brain's space launch has gone into Near Space. Even at that height, things are needed like oxygen to breathe, warm environments and pressurization for humans. I wonder what is the highest anyone has gone up in a balloon and lived to talk about it?
• PJAllen Banned Posts: 5,065

  2012-10-13 08:41 edited 2012-10-13 08:41

  http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2004/JerardKneifatiHayek.shtml
• Humanoido Posts: 5,770

  2012-10-13 19:45 edited 2012-10-13 19:45

  Thanks for the link - it led to another link with this story:
  http://www.askmen.com/celebs/interview_500/501_joe-kittinger-the-right-stuff.html
  
  "On August 16, 1960, as research for a then-fledgling U.S. space program, Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger rode his Excelsior III helium balloon to the edge of space, 102,800 feet above the earth -- a feat in itself. Then, wearing just a thin pressure suit and breathing supplemental oxygen, he leaned over the cramped confines of his gondola and jumped -- into the 110-degree-below-zero near-vacuum of space. Within seconds his body accelerated to over 600 mph in the thin air, approaching the sound barrier. After free-falling for more than four and a half minutes, slowed finally by friction from the heavier air below, he felt his parachute open at 14,000 feet, and he coasted gently down to the New Mexico desert floor."
• Humanoido Posts: 5,770

  2012-10-13 19:48 edited 2012-10-13 19:48

  Only 9 hours left to launch.
  This link has the flight updates:
  http://www.redbullstratos.com/the-mission/launch-progress/
  Let's hope all goes well!
• Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL) Posts: 1,720

  2012-10-14 04:12 edited 2012-10-14 04:12

  02:17:49
  
  

  :cool:
  
  02:16:49
• Bob Lawrence (VE1RLL) Posts: 1,720

  2012-10-14 06:00 edited 2012-10-14 06:00

  5 sec or less to go
• Heater. Posts: 21,230

  2012-10-14 06:16 edited 2012-10-14 06:16

  WTF? I just checked www.redbullstratos.com and the cound down still had an hour and a half to run?
• LoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537

  2012-10-14 07:20 edited 2012-10-14 07:20

  About 55 minutes to go. I suppose that this is somewhat like stepping off a curb into rush hour traffic.
• Publison Posts: 12,366

  2012-10-14 07:55 edited 2012-10-14 07:55

  Filling the balloon now. Looks like a commit for launch.
• LoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537

  2012-10-14 07:57 edited 2012-10-14 07:57

  They rolled back the clock again to 1:05.
  I suppose that they want Sunday TV coverage in the USA whether the weather is permitting or not.
• Publison Posts: 12,366

  2012-10-14 08:01 edited 2012-10-14 08:01

  At least they are not up against NASCAR. The Sprint cup race was last night. Don't tell me who won. I'm watching the DVR now.
• Dave Hein Posts: 6,347

  2012-10-14 09:13 edited 2012-10-14 09:13

  Altitude is 14.5 km and climbing.
• Dave Hein Posts: 6,347

  2012-10-14 09:22 edited 2012-10-14 09:22

  You can track it's APRS data at http://aprs.fi/#!addr=roswell%2C%20nm . Zoom the map out a bit to see the whole track.
• Phil Pilgrim (PhiPi) Posts: 23,514

  2012-10-14 09:32 edited 2012-10-14 09:32

  It's happening now, live: http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/
  
  -Phil
• ElectricAye Posts: 4,561

  2012-10-14 10:28 edited 2012-10-14 10:28

  Don't look now, but a rubber chicken beat him to it.
  
  
  
  http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2012/19apr_camilla/
• LoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537

  2012-10-14 10:39 edited 2012-10-14 10:39

  very soon....
• LoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537

  2012-10-14 10:56 edited 2012-10-14 10:56

  depressurize capsule, pressurize suit.....
• Ron Czapala Posts: 2,418

  2012-10-14 11:17 edited 2012-10-14 11:17

  Back on the ground!
• LoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537

  2012-10-14 11:19 edited 2012-10-14 11:19

  Amazing to be able to watch live on computer in Taiwan. TV channels didn't provide as good coverage.
• Heater. Posts: 21,230

  2012-10-14 11:30 edited 2012-10-14 11:30

  Totally amazing feat.
  
  The video feed from redbullstratos here in Helsinki was very slow and choppy. Pretty much a still shot every 10 seconds as time to jump approached. The feeds from local media sites were totally jammed. Must have been a lot of people watching. As soon as it was over everything went back to normal.
  
  Well done Felix.
• Publison Posts: 12,366

  2012-10-14 11:36 edited 2012-10-14 11:36

  Amazing !!
  
  Was hoping to see a conical condensation cloud as he broke the sound barrier. The jury is still out as to if he did hit that speed.
• skylight Posts: 1,915

  2012-10-14 11:42 edited 2012-10-14 11:42

  A couple of worrying moments when he was asked to give a countdown and just gave a thumbs up and when asked to detaqch the umbilicals he just sat there and had to be asked again, seemed like he wasn't quite with it perhaps the effects of the pure oxygen?
  Then the tumbling which seemed to go on for an eternity! He mentioned passing out as he descended?
  Great achievement! Just wondering if he pulled his chute early on purpose in honour of Kittenger so as to not break all his records? He was only a few seconds away from breaking the longest freeefall one.
• Dave Hein Posts: 6,347

  2012-10-14 12:01 edited 2012-10-14 12:01

  Publison wrote: »

  Was hoping to see a conical condensation cloud as he broke the sound barrier. The jury is still out as to if he did hit that speed.

  I believe his maximum speed was 736 MPH, so if the temperature was less than 23F he should have broken the sound barrier. It's doubtful that there would be a condensation cloud since the temperatue is below freezing at that altitude, and the air density is around 1% of that at sea level.