I don't know the science here, but isn't there a maximum speed you can attain before basically falling at the same rate?

And I'd have to think that's less than 761 MPH.

downstairs: I don't know the science here, but isn't there a maximum speed you can attain before basically falling at the same rate?

I would think that unless the ropes to the chute were steel cables, they would snap like threads when it opened.

Good luck with that.

downstairs: I don't know the science here, but isn't there a maximum speed you can attain before basically falling at the same rate?

And I'd have to think that's less than 761 MPH.

That's called terminal velocity - when the drag of the air negates the acceleration due to gravity. The thing is, in the high boundaries of the atmosphere, the air is a lot thinner and there's less drag.

I thought the real danger came from entering a flat spin with the resultant g forces basically killing you

downstairs: And I'd have to think that's less than 761 MPH.

Because the air is really thin 23 miles up, let's assume it's almost like falling in a vacuum.

v=g(t)

g=9.81 m/s^2
t=35s

v= 343.35 m/s or 768.052076 miles per hour.

/Ahh, high school physics.

NuttierThanEver: I thought the real danger came from entering a flat spin with the resultant g forces basically killing you

That's why I never go tandem jumping with the guy nicknamed "Goose".

Brass for balls, shiat for brains.

Practice makes perfect

Baumgartner will make two test jumps at 60,000ft and 90,000ft in the coming months before the world record attempt, sponsored by the energy drink manufacturer Red Bull.

Maybe they should tell him that 'Red Bull Gives You Wings' is just a slogan, and isn't meant to be taken seriously?

I guess he is the man without fear

He'll never really make it to Mach 1, I bet. Approaching the speed of sound, drag increases considerably as the compressibility effects of the airflow start to kick in. In his case, he will accelerate in the thin atmosphere to terminal velocity, which due to the high drag leading up to Mach 1 will most likely happen before he gets to Mach 1, and will then get progressively slower as the air thickens.

There's a reason it was called a "barrier" back in the day. High drag prevented planes from accelerating beyond a certain point. It wasn't until we started developing things like swept wings and pointy noses and high thrust engines that the "barrier" went away.

FTFA: "He had intended to make the leap last year but a promoter named Daniel Hogan claimed the stunt was his idea and took legal action. The claim has now been settled, clearing the way for the ultimate skydive."

What legal action could that other guy have taken? "It was my idea to jump and fall really fast, so you're not allowed to." How in the world could a claim like that prevent the Red Bull effort from going forward?

Gordian Cipher: He'll never really make it to Mach 1, I bet. Approaching the speed of sound, drag increases considerably as the compressibility effects of the airflow start to kick in. In his case, he will accelerate in the thin atmosphere to terminal velocity, which due to the high drag leading up to Mach 1 will most likely happen before he gets to Mach 1, and will then get progressively slower as the air thickens.

There's a reason it was called a "barrier" back in the day. High drag prevented planes from accelerating beyond a certain point. It wasn't until we started developing things like swept wings and pointy noses and high thrust engines that the "barrier" went away.

Kittinger hit mach .9 at 90,000 feet *with* a drogue chute deployed.

As far as aircraft breaking the speed of sound; it definitely happened before the 'official' barrier breaking flight, it was just the first time it was observed and the aircraft returned. It's less a 'barrier' in the drag sense (the related drag increases start at .6 mach), more of a shuffling of the rules of aerodynamics. If you aren't designing it to go supersonic (or don't know how/why to do it, as was the case pre-1947) you probably don't have a controllable supersonic aircraft.

I imagine his terminal velocity at some point will exceed Mach 1, but he'll do it where there's not much air to speak of, so it's not like he'll give off a sonic boom. As he falls, he'll actually decelerate significantly before he has to deploy his chute, if I recall correctly terminal velocity at sea level for a person plummeting feet first (trying to go fast as opposed to splaying out on your belly) is something like 215 mph.

The thing that interests me most about these kind of jumps is how do you plan out the landing zone? That's got to be hard with all the winds and stuff I imagine you can get blown decently off course.

Damn, from the look of his previous records and his brass balls. Just damn. If anyone can do this, it's him.

costermonger: Gordian Cipher: He'll never really make it to Mach 1, I bet. Approaching the speed of sound, drag increases considerably as the compressibility effects of the airflow start to kick in. In his case, he will accelerate in the thin atmosphere to terminal velocity, which due to the high drag leading up to Mach 1 will most likely happen before he gets to Mach 1, and will then get progressively slower as the air thickens.

There's a reason it was called a "barrier" back in the day. High drag prevented planes from accelerating beyond a certain point. It wasn't until we started developing things like swept wings and pointy noses and high thrust engines that the "barrier" went away.

Kittinger hit mach .9 at 90,000 feet *with* a drogue chute deployed.

As far as aircraft breaking the speed of sound; it definitely happened before the 'official' barrier breaking flight, it was just the first time it was observed and the aircraft returned. It's less a 'barrier' in the drag sense (the related drag increases start at .6 mach), more of a shuffling of the rules of aerodynamics. If you aren't designing it to go supersonic (or don't know how/why to do it, as was the case pre-1947) you probably don't have a controllable supersonic aircraft.

Well, sure. It's not like you hit a wall. But the drag increase is significant, and one of the two big obstacles to supersonic flight was enough thrust to overcome that drag (the other being controllability). We solved the thrust problem well before the controllability problem.

This falling dude doesn't exactly have extra thrust. He has gravity, and.... um.... gravity. He might make it to Mach 0.95. Maybe.

RexTalionis: downstairs: And I'd have to think that's less than 761 MPH.

Because the air is really thin 23 miles up, let's assume it's almost like falling in a vacuum.

v=g(t)

g=9.81 m/s^2
t=35s

v= 343.35 m/s or 768.052076 miles per hour.

/Ahh, high school physics.

Terminal velocity


Ahh, college physics.

Balls. Gigantic, farking brass balls.

This will work as long as The Vulture doesn't attack him.

WhyteRaven74: AlwaysRightBoy: Damn, from the look of his previous records and his brass balls. Just damn. If anyone can do this, it's him.

If you want fun, go to YouTube and enter Felix Baumgartner, some of his videos are just awesome. Like skydiving, from a helicopter, to the top of a skyscraper, then BASE jumping off the skyscraper. Why? Cause why not?

I wonder what this guy uses for underwear.