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Bleeding Edge

by Michael Ho

Mon, May 14th 2012 5:00pm


Filed Under:
altitude, parachute, skydiving, sound barrier, space, world record

Companies:
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DailyDirt: I'm Free... Free-Falling

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

There's been a bit of a resurgence in interest for manned spaceflight because the costs of launching vehicles to the edge of space aren't ludicrous anymore, just outrageously expensive. Despite the advances in rocket launching systems, there's always a chance that something could go wrong -- so ejecting escape pods at high altitudes seems like a good idea, right? Only a handful of people have even attempted to skydive from more than a few miles up. By the end of this year, though, a couple brave souls could set some skydiving records and pave the way for a new extreme sport. By the way, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.
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  • icon
    fb39ca4 (profile), 14 May 2012 @ 5:26pm

    Seems safe.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

    • icon
      Michael Ho (profile), 14 May 2012 @ 6:01pm

      Re:

      It's really only the landing part that's tricky.. the rest is easy.

      [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Anonymous Coward, 14 May 2012 @ 6:19pm

        Re: Re:

        People always say that half in jest, but I suspect it's the cracking the sound barrier that may prove a problem. Not to mention going up to an altitude of 23-25 miles in just a suit. Oxygen is such a handy thing to have around.

        [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Leigh Beadon (profile), 14 May 2012 @ 6:58pm

          Re: Re: Re:

          Oh I suspect there's all sorts of nasty stuff you have to deal with on the way down. If you fall through a cloud you get buffeted by hail and wind and crazy stuff - and if it's a big cloud it can last for a /long/ time. IIRC only one person has ever fallen through the length of a cumulo-nimbus cloud and lived to tell the tale.

          [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2012 @ 7:12am

            Re: Re: Re: Re:

            I read quite some time ago the story about the Marine pilot who bailed out of his F-8 Crusader when his engine self-destructed. I cannot even begin to imagine a 40 minute descent, ascent, descent, ascent, etc. in the middle of a severe thunderstorm.

            [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        Pixelation, 14 May 2012 @ 10:54pm

        Re: Re:

        "It's really only the landing part that's tricky"

        The secret to flying...fall at the ground ... and miss.

        [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

        • icon
          Mike Masnick (profile), 15 May 2012 @ 12:28am

          Re: Re: Re:

          The secret to flying...fall at the ground ... and miss.


          Oh great. Now the Douglas Adams estate is going to send us a C&D...

          [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

          • identicon
            Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2012 @ 7:44am

            Re: Re: Re: Re:

            "Oh great. Now the Douglas Adams estate is going to send us a C&D..."

            If they do, tell them to go practice flying.

            [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    abc gum, 14 May 2012 @ 6:42pm

    Flash Gordon would jump from his spaceship in orbit around the planet Mongo without the benefit of oxygen tanks or parachute - he simply used his super awesome cape! He undertook great risks in order to thwart the evil schemes of the Emperor Ming the Merciless. Boy - those were the days ... when the rocket engine exhaust fumes would rise like cigarette smoke from a Lucky Strike and the guide wire oscillations made the rocket ship look as if it were piloted by a drunkard.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 15 May 2012 @ 8:48am

    Noone in the USA needs to worry about testing this sort of thing since Obama has effectively ensured we have no space industry anymore.

    [ reply to this | link to this | view in chronology ]


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