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[NYT] Google VP Breaks Felix Baumgartner’s World Record Fall

1K views 15 replies 12 participants last post by  thenailedone 
#1 ·
Quote:
ROSWELL, N.M. - A well-known computer scientist parachuted from a balloon near the top of the stratosphere on Friday, falling faster than the speed of sound and breaking the world altitude record set just two years ago.

The jump was made by Alan Eustace, 57, a senior vice president at Google. At dawn he was lifted by a balloon filled with 35,000 cubic feet of helium, from an abandoned runway at the airport here.

For a little over two hours, the balloon ascended at speeds up to 1,600 feet per minute to an altitude of more than 25 miles. Mr. Eustace dangled underneath in a specially designed spacesuit with an elaborate life-support system. He returned to earth just 15 minutes after starting his fall. .

"It was amazing," he said. "It was beautiful. You could see the darkness of space and you could see the layers of atmosphere, which I had never seen before."

Mr. Eustace cut himself loose from the balloon with the aid of a small explosive device and plummeted toward the earth at a speeds that peaked at 822 miles per hour, setting off a small sonic boom heard by observers on the ground....
Source

So over the top happy for him right now. Met Alan several times years back at Google and is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

I can only begin to imagine the rush/sensation of something like that. Very exciting stuff.
 
#2 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by deafboy View Post

Source

So over the top happy for him right now. Met Alan several times years back at Google and is one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.

I can only begin to imagine the rush/sensation of something like that. Very exciting stuff.
Wow... Talk about balls of steel...

Thats crazy
 
#5 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by DiNet View Post

Apart from it being freaking amazing, how do they parachute? In the video it skips to where it is deployed and he's gliding over few meters that left. So how does he slow down to speed when he can actually deploy it without being ripped part from 800 miles per hour speed?
You'd naturally slow down as you get lower where the atmosphere isn't as thin. The drag from the air would slow him down enough (100-200mph) to allow the parachute to open without tearing him apart.
 
#7 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dyson Poindexter View Post

Someone plays KSP
lol. No idea what KSP is.

edit: Searched, lol. Nope, never played Kerbal Space Program.
 
#16 ·
They seem to have greatly simplified the process if you compare the two jumps. Face plant on the landing though
tongue.gif
 
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