PSA Redbull Stratos on now

I’m more impressed with the mars rover

let me know when it starts driving supersonic 😉

I am a bit surprised at how big an event this is deemed to be. Barring a serious technical malfunction it was always going to work. It’s pretty cool and was no doubt a blast for the fella jumping but if I’m honest I’m more impressed with the mars rover.

Why can’t we credit both? Why do we have to compare?

I believe there were lots of things that could have gone wrong (did you see him spinning out of control, for example?). It’s the bravery thing too: A bit like the old school test pilots in the 50s who were killed at the rate of 1/week.

You think that throwing yourself out of a balloon at 128,000 ft and reaching 706mph is easy? Get a grip.

I agree that technology has limited the risk, but even so…

I am a bit surprised at how big an event this is deemed to be. Barring a serious technical malfunction it was always going to work. It’s pretty cool and was no doubt a blast for the fella jumping but if I’m honest I’m more impressed with the mars rover.

Is no act too great for an STWer not to be able to belittle? Some truly awesome people here. 😀

I suspect that if the Mars rover had a Redbull sticker on it we’d be hearing a lot more about it! Seriously though I think it’s more down to the human content.

I do agree however, whilst there are some new things that they’ve been trying out the technology is well understood. On the other hand, having the balls to get into (and out of) the capsule…

As for the Mars rover… it’s 185 MILLION miles away!

Is no act too great for an STWer not to be able to belittle? Some truly awesome people here

and they keep coming back

A bit like the old school test pilots in the 50s who were killed at the rate of 1/week.

I don’t think it compares to that at all, I suspect his odds of making a successful return to earth were much better than the early jet pioneers.

Maybe so, maybe not. The odds are a moot point: The point is that he is a pioneer, undertaking an endeavour that took an extraordinary amount of guts, skill and calmn in an extreme situation.

I’ve no interest in trying to convince anyone that balloon jump man isn’t the bees knees, if you think he’s great and are inspired by his actions then that can only be a good thing. My post was prompted by my genuine surprise at how many people thought his achievement was awesome and that I clearly hold a minority view regarding the scale of his achievement. Nothing more.

Finally caught it.

Right, now let’s go deep under the sea!

You think heights are difficult, well they’re nothing next to depths!

Also, top work Mr Bum Gardener. Timed to perfection, as I had to be at an appointment ten minutes after he landed! 🙂

Some headcam footage:

Web: http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=ef7_1350270285
Download: http://www.mediafire.com/?ajwgp9fy6avqbpm

Regarding awesomeness, here’s a bit of a clue: despite many decades of experience with balloons and skydiving, no-one has done it before.

Ohh thanks lads for putting that vid up earlier.

I
Am
Speechless.

(First time for everything eh!!)

I’ve no interest in trying to convince anyone that balloon jump man isn’t the bees knees, if you think he’s great and are inspired by his actions then that can only be a good thing. My post was prompted by my genuine surprise at how many people thought his achievement was awesome and that I clearly hold a minority view regarding the scale of his achievement. Nothing more.

I kind of get your point.

The 1969 moon landing was totally uncharted territory, creating stuff from scratch to meet a never-before attempted goal.

This Austrian bloke falling out of a capsule is impresive, but the technology is probably not as breakthrough/cutting edge/pushing the envelope.

I think we’ve also become a bit numb to these kind of achievements due to the number of things we’ve seen over the past few decades. I think we now expect things to be successful as we’re so technologically proficient.

It’s not about the technology. It’s about the sheer endeavor and courage of Felix to break the fricking sound barrier without much more than a helmet, pair of boots and thick suit. He’s a legend.

Gods, I’ve just watched the helmet cam. Literally, awesome.

I wonder, idly, if when he was spinning like mad, if that was because the air was too thin to provide any resistance to stabilise against at that altitude.

I loved it, absolutely amzing stuff

Joe Kittinger did well to hold that record for so long. Remarkable that they were able to get so high, so long ago. Bumgardner wasn’t that much higher but it seemed very much more difficult technology wise to get those extra 20,000 or so feet up.

Top stuff

So if the technology isn’t that amazing (relatively speaking), we can all agree he has balls of steel, yes?

Cougar – Member
Gods, I’ve just watched the helmet cam. Literally, awesome.

I wonder, idly, if when he was spinning like mad, if that was because the air was too thin to provide any resistance to stabilise against at that altitude.

Nail on the head. Plus as soon as he starts to spin it becomes harder to break the spin the longer it goes on for. What he must have been going through, mentally and physically at that point, and then to correct his spin back to control, I can’t imagine.

As the air “thickens” at lower altitudes it will have slowed his descent, but also would have put more pressure upon his body as the spinning now has a “surface” to brake against.

It’s moments like this when unbelievable achievements are accomplished and a man in a balloon with a parachute jumps back to earth from space, that I have faith in the human race.

Sorry, that got a bit heavy. Normal service is being resumed.

That is all. Carry on.

The head cam footage of him recovering that spin is amazing

Watched the whole thing yesterday, real edge of seat viewing. Makes you realise the scale of Kittinger’s achievement to have done something similar more than 50 years ago and with more basic equipment. Huge respect to both.

My post was prompted by my genuine surprise at how many people thought his achievement was awesome

he jumped out of a balloon, 23 miles up in the sky and traveled at 800mph with only some fabric and bits of string (no safety net) to slow him down – anyone who can’t see how that is awesome needs their head looking at.

when he was in a spin he had to use trial and error, left arm out a bit, right arm out a bit, left leg out a bit, to slow him down at 800mph – no technology was going to help him with that.

I feel ill.
Did he have anti-vomit technology in his suit? I bet he was wearing a nappy.

Is he going back up to get his balloon ? 🙂

Fantastic achievement for him, but I bet he must be slightly gutted as he didn’t get the longest free fall record, which is kind of what you would hope to be getting??

I’d be interested to know how he thinks this compares to base jumping, where surely the risk of getting killed is higher than doing what he did…

He was going for speed not duration : )

Lego Felix. Awesome.

Regarding awesomeness, here’s a bit of a clue: despite many decades of experience with balloons and skydiving, no-one has done it before.

That is because those that have tried, since Kittinger, have died.

“Note the qualifier: a former Blackbird SR-71 pilot, Bill Weaver, is the only known person to travel at more than Mach 1 in the Earth’s atmosphere and survive, in just a flight suit. But it was an accident, not a deliberate jump. Weaver was forcibly ejected from his damaged plane; his copilot died in the accident.”

some info about Kittinger’s first attempt:

“Kittinger’s first jump, on Nov. 16, 1959, nearly ended in disaster. He jumped from 76,000 feet, but his parachute malfunctioned and opened early, catching on his neck. He spiraled and lost consciousness, despite wearing a specially designed pressurized suit, and was only saved when his backup parachute activated at 10,000 feet. (Unofficial estimates for the G forces he experienced were on the order of 22 times that of earth’s gravity.) Undeterred, Kittinger jumped again one month later, from an altitude of 74,700 feet.”

I must confess to being less than impressed than perhaps I should be. Humans are carrying on with all sorts of daft and impressive stuff these days and most of what impresses me is the risk. Rightly or wrongly I just don’t associate this achievement with as much risk as others. If a parachute jump goes wrong at any height it’s pretty bad news 🙂

If Red Bull paid and trained me to do the same thing I’d jump at it (pun intended). The fact that I’d like to do it is what makes it less impressive for me.

To put it in perspective, I recently watched “Solitary Endeavour on the Southern Ocean”. A month at sea in a kayak in one of the most dangerous seas on Earth. Now THAT was impressive (or stupid!) and certainly NOT something I would ever want to do.

Again!! Why all the comparisons? Can’t we just take each achievement on their own merits?

This is another in the impressive list of great human achievements.

There are different aspects of impressiveness.
I could buy a kayak off ebay for £50. It’s the technology involved in getting a balloon up there, the images and all the science that goes with it that I like.

I must confess to being less than impressed than perhaps I should be. Humans are carrying on with all sorts of daft and impressive stuff these days and most of what impresses me is the risk. Rightly or wrongly I just don’t associate this achievement with as much risk as others. If a parachute jump goes wrong at any height it’s pretty bad news

????This man has gone 840MPH in a helmet and boots and you’re comparing it to a bloke in a little boat????

Why all the comparisons?

Simply to (try and) explain why some found this less impressive than others. I find it very interesting how people respond to stuff like this. It’s just forum chat at the end of the day. Why did you like such and such a film/song/photo/supersonic freefall more/less than me?

It’s the technology involved in getting a balloon up there, the images and all the science that goes with it that I like.

That’s the bit that does nothing for me, which may be another reason I was a bit underwhelmed I suppose. I was just interested in the jump.

i wish there was a height he could’ve gone to where he was neither drawn towards earth by gravity or floated off into space… just perfectly still until somebody had to give him a nudge downwards 😀

Google “Lagrange Points”. Earth/Moon L1 is around 300,000km away.

Google “Lagrange Points”

dont tell me what to do! you’re not my mum!

Insomnia, Philly? 🙂

nope, always up before 5am… although jet lag has hit hard this morning so spinning this morning will kill me!