Edge of Space paradrop attempt

[Green1]

In my internet reading, I happened upon an attempt that is fixing to happen. Remember the scene in a Star Trek movie where Captian Kirk did orbital skydives? Or in SMAX where drop troops can do so? Or scenes from the Halo franchise of video games?

Base jumper and adrenaline junkie Felix Baumgartner is fixing to go up then jump from 23 miles up. Not quite orbital, but getting close.

http://www.redbullstratos.com/the-mission/what-is-the-mission/

BTW, this is for the world record.

Anyone else been following this guy?

[Buster's Uncle]

I've been aware of it for a couple of weeks, but don't find it all that interesting.

-Also, that wasn't Captain Kirk.

[Green1]

I've been aware of it for a couple of weeks, but don't find it all that interesting.

-Also, that wasn't Captain Kirk.

Deleted scene: Star Trek Generations.

Skydive with Sulu and someone else: JJ Abrahms ST reboot.

[Buster's Uncle]

That wasn't Captain Kirk. 

That wasn't Sulu.  Also, Chekhov would be about five at that point, and no lame altered timeline handwaves that away.

It was a deleted scene?  I saw it in the movie.

[Green1]

alternate timeline... well, I will give the purists that. Still, purist or not, the whole paradrop drill fight scene was pretty cool. I will agree, I do prefer the more cerebral 1990s Star Trek approach than JJ Abrams action approach. I think DS9 was probably the way ST writing needs to go.

deleted scene is here from Generations:

Star Trek - Orbital Skydiving

[Buster's Uncle]

You have drank the koolaide, and I'm not going to discuss Star Trek with you, as you clearly are confused about what Star Trek even is.

[Green1]

You have drank the koolaide, and I'm not going to discuss Star Trek with you, as you clearly are confused about what Star Trek even is.

There is only one way to resolve these differences for now my nerd honor is insulted.

Boffer weapons!

[Buster's Uncle]

...I'd had you pegged as too mature to fall for the Fake Star Trek...

[Green1]

...I'd had you pegged as too mature to fall for the Fake Star Trek...

I know... the JJ Abrahms is a slap when all we want is the series of the 90s back. Who knows, maybe we will get a Capt. Worf. Worf had some pretty good storylines and the guy is a decent actor when allowed to be.

BUT, purity notwithstanding and fandom notwithstanding, there HAS to be something badass about stepping out of your space ship and just free falling to the surface like awesome hero you are. I read a sci fi novel once where they did not use space ships. They had these suits and would just fly from planet to planet like gods. No need for a drop ship.

Am I just alone in not thinking this stuff is awesome?

I really wish I could find this one video, but I think it was removed. It was a well done CGI of a lady riding an Armidillo Aerospace rocket up then jumping from like 60 miles up, going supersonic.

[Buster's Uncle]

all we want is the series of the 90s back.

[Green1]

But back to orbital insetions... and let the nerd wars go back to the cons of the 1990s.

Hmm.. a bit more cool imagination thoughts.

This guy Felix is also testing suits that can withstand re-entry.

Now, multiply this. Think about money you could save, say, jumping from the ISS 120 - 200 miles up! You would be home in no time if you could aim your landing right and had a suit capable of surviving reentry and a damn good chute or two. No additional launch required.

[Buster's Uncle]

There's all the difference in the world between reentry from a static position and reentry from orbit and orbital speeds, even where the altitude in question is the same.

[Green1]

Yeah, BU.

You would HAVE to get yourself into a different orbital speed than something like the ISS.

I am thinking you would have to put yourself in a somewhat geostationary orbit after jumping from the ISS. That means slowing down. You DEFINATELY would not want to re-enter on the same angle or speed as a Soyuz or a Dragon. You would have to watch speed. Maybe use small rockets that you jettison after use before re entry.

[Buster's Uncle]

Highest free-fall jump postponed due to winds
Associated Press – 15 hrs ago.. .



ROSWELL, N.M. (AP) — The highest, fastest free fall in history has been postponed.

Red Bull Stratos announced Friday that the jump by extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner have been moved from Monday to Tuesday thanks to a cold front with gusty winds. The jump can only be made if winds on the ground are under 2 mph for the initial launch a balloon carrying Baumgartner.

The man dubbed "Fearless Felix" is attempting to become the first skydiver to break the sound barrier. If he doesn't, a gruesome demise could be live-streamed on the Internet for the world to see.

Rigged with cameras, the 43-year-old former military parachutist from Austria is scheduled Tuesday to jump from 23 miles over the southeastern New Mexico town of Roswell.

[Buster's Uncle]

How Supersonic Skydiver Will Freefall Through Earth's Atmosphere
By OurAmazingPlanet Staff | LiveScience.com – 23 mins ago.. .

 
Veteran skydiver Felix Baumgartner plans to take a supersonic tour of Earth's atmospheric layers on Tuesday (Oct 9). The Austrian daredevil will attempt the world's highest skydive, a daring leap from 23 miles up that will send him plummeting earthward faster than the speed of sound.
 
On the way down, Baumgartner, 43, will pass through the stratosphere and troposphere, two of the four gaseous layers that enshroud and protect our planet. Each of these layers has unique properties.
 
Earth's atmosphere starts 430 miles (690 kilometers) up. This is the upper boundary of the thermosphere, the outermost layer of the atmosphere. Solar radiation bombards this layer, striking its sparse air molecules and causing them to emit flashes of light: the auroras. At an altitude of 53 miles (85 km), the thermosphere transitions into the mesosphere, an atmospheric layer known for its faint clouds, as well as electrical discharge events called red sprites and blue jets.
 
Below the mesosphere is the stratosphere, and below that is the troposphere. These are the two layers through which Baumgartner will dive. [Infographic: Earth's Atmosphere Top to Bottom]
 
Baumgartner, sitting inside a custom-built capsule, will be lifted by a helium balloon to an altitude of 120,000 feet (36,576 meters). This altitude registers in the upper echelons of the stratosphere, the second layer of the atmosphere.
 
Near Earth's mid-latitudes, the stratosphere extends from an altitude of 6 miles (10 km) up to about 30 miles (50 km) above the surface. The air pressure drops from 10 percent of its value at sea level to just 0.1 percent of its sea-level value; no one can survive here without an oxygen tank.
 
The stratosphere is defined by the fact that in this layer, unlike in the layers above and below, absorption of ultraviolet sunlight by ozone causes the temperature to increase as you move up in altitude. This coupling of temperature with altitude prevents convection from happening, and so the air in this layer is dynamically stable.
 
Because the air is so thin in the stratosphere — the air pressure is just 0.1 percent of its sea-level value at the top of the layer and 10 percent of its sea-level value at the bottom — Baumgartner will freefall through it at speeds that surpass the sea-level speed of sound (760 mph, or 1,225 kph). As the air thickens, he'll gradually slow down before plunging into the troposphere, the innermost layer of Earth's atmosphere, where we live and breathe.
 
The troposphere, which includes everything from an altitude of 6 miles down over most of Earth (up to 12 miles down over the equator), is where all weather happens, as well as longer-term processes such as the jet stream. In this layer, temperature and pressure both drop as you move up in altitude.