High Alt. Record Attempts

[snapontoolman 0]

Has anyone heard any recent news on these record attemps. I found an old article from 2001 and there seems to be some outdated info on Cheryl Stearn's website stratoquest.com. But I can't seem to find anything current.

[mjosparky 4]

There are 2 things that you have to have to attempt that record. One is the pressure suit. You can't buy one so you need NASA to sign on the project. The second is money, 5 to 7 million. When those 2 things come together it will happen. Not before.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[packing_jarrett 0]

I was talking to a Russia Dude and he knew the guy that did the space jump and Hollywood is putting together a reality skydiving series. The 2 winners get to go on a mach 2 airplane ride and who ever does the best with the G forces in the plane get to go to 130,000 feet. the skydivers for the reality show are going to be celebrity skydivers.

Na' Cho' Cheese

[mjosparky 4]

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I was talking to a Russia Dude and he knew the guy that did the space jump and Hollywood is putting together a reality skydiving series. The 2 winners get to go on a mach 2 airplane ride and who ever does the best with the G forces in the plane get to go to 130,000 feet. the skydivers for the reality show are going to be celebrity skydivers.

It sounds good, but do you have any idea what is involve in going to 130,000? I was involve with the TAME program, a 130,000 ft. attempt. It was put together by Joe Crotwell who owns AERO. We had NASA on board, and funding from FOX studios. Joe Kittinger was on the board along with Yeager. The first primary was a stunt man who claimed more experience then he had and after 30 training jumps on spin recovery and fly unusual positions it was decided to replace him. The next primary was a Navy test jumper with several thousand jump. It turned out he had a substance abuse problem and after jumping through hoops for almost 2 years, FOX pulled their funding.

Kittinger's jump was not freefall, but drouge assisted and if it wasn't for the AAD he would have gone in. Both the TAME program and Stearns' attempt were/are planed for freefall. Without some form G induced spin recovery system, I don't think it can be done and survive. At that altitude and moderate turn of less than 90 degrees will produce an unrecoverable spin. As we saw in a recent fatality, that within 2 to 3 seconds and less then 3 or 4 revolutions a person can be in G-loc. If the spin becomes fast enough I think the suit will fail and thats that. jmo

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[mr2mk1g 10]

Is a spin still likely to start if the jumper just starts tracking and doesn't stop? Or are there other reasons why that's impractical?

[SkymonkeyONE 4]

There is no air to track against at 130,000 feet. The problem is that you are wearing a LOT of gear to be able to survive at that altitude. Enough so that when the air does get thick enough that you might start spinning, it's likely that you will not have enough control input via your limbs to counter it.

Chuck

[mjosparky 4]

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Is a spin still likely to start if the jumper just starts tracking and doesn't stop? Or are there other reasons why that's impractical?

As Chuck said, with the suit and all the gear you are wearing, you will probably be in the rocking chair position, butt to earth, and not able to get into any other position.

This position, but on your back.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[snapontoolman 0]

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Kittinger's jump was not freefall, but drouge assisted and if it wasn't for the AAD he would have gone in.

I did'nt know about this. Can you elaborate; why did his AAD save him?
Also I have heard Kittenger broke the sound barrier during his fall, but I've also heard otherwise. Any one know any more about that?

Thanks everyone for your input.

Cory

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[mjosparky 4]

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Kittinger's jump was not freefall, but drouge assisted and if it wasn't for the AAD he would have gone in.

I did'nt know about this. Can you elaborate; why did his AAD save him?
Also I have heard Kittenger broke the sound barrier during his fall, but I've also heard otherwise. Any one know any more about that?

Thanks everyone for your input.

Cory

The speed of sound varies with temp. and altitude. He came close but did not exceed mach 1. If I remember right, not at home, the work up for TAME had a jumper in freefall going mach 1 just above 100,000 feet and slowing to sub-sonic at around 91.000. If I remember, when I get home I will double check

On the other issue, I will make a couple of calls and maybe post it latter.

Sparky

Can anyone figure what you Time of useful consciousness would be above 100,000 feet?

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

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[jonstark 8]

Can anyone figure what you Time of useful consciousness would be above 100,000 feet?

[skypuppy 1]

Actually on Kittinger's record jump (Excelsior III), although the main chute was deployed by an AAD simply due to the system they were using and reasons for the tests, he had control of an override and could have deployed it himself without problem - it was the jump he made from Excelsior I where he had all the problems, lost consciousness, had a double mal (while unconscious) and then woke up on the desert floor after the main broke away and allowed the reserve to deploy....

If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

[mr2mk1g 10]

Above 43,000ft it's 9-12 seconds. Plus you have to deal with decompression.

This is a great, detailed but dense resource: http://wwwsam.brooks.af.mil/af/files/fsguide/HTML/Chapter_02.html

[mjosparky 4]

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Above 43,000ft it's 9-12 seconds. Plus you have to deal with decompression.

This is a great, detailed but dense resource: http://wwwsam.brooks.af.mil/af/files/fsguide/HTML/Chapter_02.html

It would be closer to 0. Your blood starts to boil at around 62 or 63,000 and above 100,000 you would probably just explode.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[darkwing 5]

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It would be closer to 0. Your blood starts to boil at around 62 or 63,000 and above 100,000 you would probably just explode.

Sparky

I think that is a common fallacy. Check out this page from NASA for example, which says

"At NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (now renamed Johnson Space Center) we had a test subject accidentally exposed to a near vacuum (less than 1 psi) in an incident involving a leaking space suit in a vacuum chamber back in '65. He remained conscious for about 14 seconds, which is about the time it takes for O2 deprived blood to go from the lungs to the brain. The suit probably did not reach a hard vacuum, and we began repressurizing the chamber within 15 seconds. The subject regained consciousness at around 15,000 feet equivalent altitude. The subject later reported that he could feel and hear the air leaking out, and his last conscious memory was of the water on his tongue beginning to boil"

-- Jeff
My Skydiving History

[wmw999 2,544]

Part of the issue is how quickly you suffer the decompression and are at 100,000 feet.

Nick Piantanida tried to do a high-altitude jump in the 1960's to beat the Kittinger jump. On his second attempt, he had a problem with his face plate. My memory of the article in Parachutist that I read was that he had enough time to say "emersh" and nothing more. He was in a coma until he died.

So maybe if you have a leak you can survive awhile; if it's quick, not very long apparently. That was at about 55,000 feet.

Wendy W.

There is nothing more dangerous than breaking a basic safety rule and getting away with it. It removes fear of the consequences and builds false confidence. (tbrown)

[slug 1]

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Part of the issue is how quickly you suffer the decompression and are at 100,000 feet.

Nick Piantanida tried to do a high-altitude jump in the 1960's to beat the Kittinger jump. On his second attempt, he had a problem with his face plate. My memory of the article in Parachutist that I read was that he had enough time to say "emersh" and nothing more. He was in a coma until he died.



So maybe if you have a leak you can survive awhile; if it's quick, not very long apparently. That was at about 55,000 feet.

Wendy W.

Hi Wendy

I'm way to young to have read the article

But someone told me the guy's brain damage was the result of High temperture rather than lack of O2.

Is that correct?

R.I.P.
B-7881

[mjosparky 4]

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It would be closer to 0. Your blood starts to boil at around 62 or 63,000 and above 100,000 you would probably just explode.

Sparky

I think that is a common fallacy. Check out this page from NASA for example, which says

"At NASA's Manned Spacecraft Center (now renamed Johnson Space Center) we had a test subject accidentally exposed to a near vacuum (less than 1 psi) in an incident involving a leaking space suit in a vacuum chamber back in '65. He remained conscious for about 14 seconds, which is about the time it takes for O2 deprived blood to go from the lungs to the brain. The suit probably did not reach a hard vacuum, and we began repressurizing the chamber within 15 seconds. The subject regained consciousness at around 15,000 feet equivalent altitude. The subject later reported that he could feel and hear the air leaking out, and his last conscious memory was of the water on his tongue beginning to boil"

I was thinking more of an explosive or rapid lose of pressure. Similar to what they put you through in the chamber, but they do that a 25,000 and you are only dealing with lack of O2.

Sparky

My idea of a fair fight is clubbing baby seals

[nitrochute 2]

actually ,nick piantanida made 3 attempts.

[NickDG 23]

The whole, "exceeded the speed of sound," thing is more a marketing and publicity generator than anything else. Kittenger milked that (not proven) aspect of his jumps all his life.

I used to be an admirer of his, but he gave a talk once and someone mentioned BASE jumping (as the opposite extreme to what he did) and Kittenger said he thought BASE jumping was foolish and nothing more than a circus act.

Oh well, another hero dethroned.

NickD BASE 194