pablo@uw-june (David Cohn) (11/08/85)
I remember hearing recently that the record for the longest freefall
was set from something like 100,000 feet with a pressure suit and oxygen.
Supposedly, at that altitude, terminal velocity is high enough so that
the instruments attached to this brave soul registered him approaching the
speed of sound.
Does anyone have details of this jump ( who, when, why, how did they get
him up that high, how fast, how long, did it really happen?). Not that I'm
planning on beating his/her record, I'm just a bit curious.
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-pablo
("Things are more like they are now than they have ever been before."
- Brian Orr)scw@ucla-cs.UUCP (11/26/85)
In article <49@uw-june> pablo@uw-june (David Cohn) writes: > > I remember hearing recently that the record for the longest freefall >was set from something like 100,000 feet with a pressure suit and oxygen. >Supposedly, at that altitude, terminal velocity is high enough so that >the instruments [...] his/her record, I'm just a bit curious. If memory serves, the jump was in the late 50's/early 60's. The Fellow (an Air Force Capt as I recall) jumped from a high altitude balloon (He also holds/held the balloon altitude record), and yse his terminal velocity was just under Mach 1.
al@infoswx.UUCP (12/04/85)
The freefall was done by kittinger (I forgot his first name). He is the same fellow that ballowed across the atlantic last year. Al Gettier D 5850
msb@link.UUCP (Mike S. Balenger x8789) (12/10/85)
I read about Kittinger in "Parachuting Folklore", a book by Horan(?) which I got from the USPA store. As I have lent the book out to a friend, I can't look up the details. As I remember, the jump was made from about 104,000 feet. He used a presurized, heated suit; lots of oxygen; a large balloon; and about 10 years of collected funds to make the jump back in the mid 60's. The book shows a picture of the guy all suited up. He looked like a sci-fi creature -- cameras, gauges, recording equip, all kinds of instruments, etc. After leaving the balloon, he fell for about 15 seconds before throwing out a drogue chute. Just before throwing out the drogue, he approached Mach 1. The drogue kept him from spinning wildly out of control. The rapid spin rates of his predicesors had caused their blood to accumulate in their limbs, and explode their heads. After falling a few more minutes (yes, minutes), he pulled a main chute, and landed somewhere near Chicago. Because he used a drogue chute for part of the decent, it is not classified as the world's longest freefall, even though the drogue exerted little force on him. It wasn't even the highest manned balloon ride -- you have to land in the balloon to qualify for this record. It was, however, the highest baloon jump. A Russian beat it soon afterwards, I think. On another attempt, a scream was heard through the radio. The ground crew cut him away from the balloon, let him and the gondola fall to a safe altitude, then deployed a chute on the gondola. The best guess as to what happened was that he had opened a valve on his helmet to clear the lens, and was unable to close it. (Blood boils at less than body temperature at that particular altitude -- probably not the most pleasant sensation.) As I remeber, he lived as a vegetable for the rest of his few remaining months. Do not put great credance in all that I said, it could have been a montage from a few different accounts that I read about (possibly) different people. When I get the book back, I will post the details gleaned from the book. -- Mike Balenger -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ <cute quote> Michael S. Balenger (201) 949-8789 <cute disclamer> AT&T Bell Labs Crawfords Corner Road ihnp4!link!msb Holmdel, NJ 07733
mark@nyit.UUCP (Mark Smith) (01/02/86)
> I read about Kittinger in "Parachuting Folklore", a book by Horan(?) which I > Because he used a drogue chute for part of the decent, it is not classified > as the world's longest freefall, even though the drogue exerted little force > on him. The story about the world's longest freefall didn't sound too appetizing, escpecially when his blood boiled in his face. What's a drogue chute? -- Mark Smith NYIT Computer Graphics Laboratory Old Westbury, New York ...{philabs,sbcs}!nyit!mark
kas@hp-pcd.UUCP (kas) (01/06/86)
A drogue 'chute is a small parachute which can be deployed at high
speed without danger of shredding itself to bits (they are generally full of
holes and slots to relieve pressure). Its' sole function is to provide drag
to slow down whatever object it is attached to. You have no doubt seen them
deployed from dragsters and some types of military aircraft when extra braking
is needed.
*
/ \
|---/---\---| Ken Scofield C-9355
| Gone | Hewlett-Packard PCD
| Jumpin' | Corvallis, OR
|-----------|
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