PSA: Supersonic sky...
 

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[Closed] PSA: Supersonic skydive from 120,000ft. Live online this afternoon

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http://www.redbullstratos.com/

1:30pm, so should be interesting lunchtime viewing.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:16 am
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Did you hear radio two making a mess of the physics of this earlier?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:21 am
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It's been done already...


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:22 am
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This is going to be ACE!!

I reckon the guys going to need surgery to prise his bum cheeks apart and get some surgeon to peal his pants off him..

“is glad I’m not he dry cleaner”

Mad as..


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:35 am
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It's been done already...

that was 102,000 ft, this is 120,000
Kittenger is on the support team for this one.

Practise jump from 96,000ft went well.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:40 am
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Was wondering whether it would be on tv. Now i know where to watch. The man has balls of steel and good luck to him


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:40 am
 DrP
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...20 second life feed delay, to quickly hit the 'STOP' button in case his eyeballs explode or something.....!!

DrP


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:41 am
 Keva
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I know nothing about planes or skydiving. What sort of plane, space shuttle does he jump out of?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:50 am
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I watched a thing about the guy that had the previous record (set in the 50's I think).

He said that when he jumped there was no sound (as there was no air to cause friction) and no point of reference so he wasn't sure if he was actually being pulled back towards the earth for a few minutes.

How terrifying does that sound?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:54 am
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he jumps out of a helium filled weather-ballon.
Because the air is so thin up there, he'll go supersonic before hitting terminal velocity. The justification is he's testing a space suit to be used as emergency evacuation from a space station. Can you imagine? Problem in the space station, just jump out and head home!

There's a CGI animation of it somewhere, hang on...


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:55 am
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Posted : 09/10/2012 8:56 am
 D0NK
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Prepare myself to be ridiculed for physics fail but...

Because the air is so thin up there, he'll go supersonic before hitting terminal velocity.
so what happens when he gets to "thick" air? gently slows down?

So today he's still inside the atmosphere, in the space station scenario what about re-entry? I hear it can get quite warm.

watching that video makes me think he's missing the opportunity of the biggest bungee jump in the world (ever!) also there seems to be a lot that could go wrong, like something snagging, fancy PC freezing up, getting blown off course and jumping into the sea etc etc


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 8:59 am
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There was a plan for an emergency, single person re-entry device. It was in the form of a heat shield that was made in orbit and that the user lay on. I don't think it got beyond the concept stage.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:00 am
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so what happens when he gets to "thick" air? gently slows down?

sort of, I believe.
If you listen to the commentry on the CGI, that's what they're expecting....


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:06 am
 D0NK
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that's what they're expecting....
awesome
"so eggheads I'll be doing supersonic speeds in a tinfoil suit how do I slow down?"
"well we expect the thicker air will slow you down gradually"
"ah, you [i]expect[/i], ok cool"
🙂


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:08 am
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How will he go supersonic just by falling? surely when the air is that thin the speed of sound is much faster. I mean ok, that's the outcome of the underlying physics. but surely the same compressibility characteristics which limit the speed of sound would also limit the speed at which the guy falls. No?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:14 am
 DrP
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Kittinger was the guy in the 50s - brilliant video on you tube...

DrP


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:17 am
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speed of sound is a defined speed, no? once you break it, you break it.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:18 am
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speed of sound is a defined speed, no?

No. speed of sound varies in different conditions, same as the speed of light


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:20 am
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Good point. He might get over 700 mph but that's not super sonic where he'll be doing it.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:20 am
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"so eggheads I'll be doing supersonic speeds in a tinfoil suit how do I slow down?"
"well we expect the thicker air will slow you down gradually"
"ah, you expect, ok cool"

"Well look at it this way, if thicker air doesn't slow you down, then it is unlikely that the thicker ground would slow you down either. So either way, you'll be ok"


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:23 am
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How much thinner is the atmosphere between the 90,000 - 100,000 ft level up to 120,000 ft?

Thats 22.7 miles up, what is the orbital height for the ISS?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:28 am
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ISS = ~200 miles


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:33 am
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ISS = ~200 miles

I wouldn't fancy jumping....


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:35 am
 beej
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Imagine doing it on a bike.... 120,000ft huck to flat.

Gnarly.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 9:43 am
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It almost make me feel guilty for buying supermarket own brand "energy" drinks at 25p instead of paying £1.20 for identical stuff in a Red Bull can.

On a bit of a tangent, I heard that the cost of making the Apollo 13 film was more than it would have cost to actually fly to the moon.
Is there any truth in that ?
Is it possible that there might one day be a Red Bull moon landing if they could sort out the sponsorship and distribution deals ?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 10:02 am
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Maybe RB and Virgin Galactic could get it together.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 10:06 am
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If he rode his bike out of the capsule below the balloon what bike would it be and what tyres for landing from 22 miles up?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 10:12 am
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I heard next year Monster are going to send a lemming to do it without a parachute. He's going to land in a pile of boxes.

Research my cakehole.

Looking forward to it 🙂


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 10:14 am
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There's an updated version of the emergency re-entry device...

And here's the original concept...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOOSE


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 10:16 am
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I reckon Redbulls turnover is directly linked to the sales of Vodka anyway, hence an economic downturn = more people looking to deal with their problems by getting smashed (whilest staying alert) means more Redbull/Vodka being ordered = more funding for people to jump out of planes, Race F1 cars and backflip Motorbikes/MTBs/BMXes...

I don't drink it because it tastes like Rat's piss, I'm an adult and I aleady get most of my caffine intake from Coffee, but I applaud their investments in the Radnessand/or stupidity of others...

It's the other Energy drinks brands (Monster/Relentless) who are truely evil, they take their profits and only invest a bit in putting branded baseball caps and stickers on various Gnarr meisters...

I heard that the cost of making the Apollo 13 film was more than it would have cost to actually fly to the moon.

That's only because Tom hanks insisted on drinking premium branded energy drinks throughout shooting...


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 10:36 am
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I tried a supermarket own brand energy drink once. I had the most miserable, sleepless, paronoid-dreams-when-I-did-eventually-nod-off night that I have ever had. Never again.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 10:40 am
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How will he go supersonic just by falling? surely when the air is that thin the speed of sound is much faster.

Speed of sound at altitude depends mostly on the temperature... the effects of lower density and pressure cancel each other out pretty much.

[img] [/img]

And the issue with re-entry from the ISS is much more about the orbital speed (~28000kph) than the altitude (~350km)...per kilo of mass you need to shed ~3.5MJ of gravitational potential energy to come to a stop on the ground, but [i]nearly ten times that[/i] (~30MJ) of kinetic.

[/physics geek mode]

Anyway... Cam Zink pretty much seems to have this whole thing covered 🙂


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 10:57 am
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So,
So if we are being pedantic about this endeavour..

RedBull doesn’t actually give you wings in this instance, more like it gives you a tight bumhole and a “bit of a warm chest” from re-entry.

Totally bonkers..


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 11:08 am
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I have to ask,

Anyone know if hes using Oakley Thermonuclear Shades?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 11:14 am
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@ elliptic,
so, while he may, whilst at altitude, travel faster than sound does at sea level, he still wont technically be supersonic, is that correct?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 11:52 am
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That's the way I see it.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:02 pm
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A little bit of internet research and it looks like $3 billion to land on the moon and $0.3 billion for the most expensive films.
http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_much_does_it_cost_to_go_to_the_moon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_most_expensive_films

Doesn't look likely with current technology then.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:11 pm
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am I right in thinking the balloon hasn't even taken off yet? How long will it take to reach the correct altitude?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:31 pm
 rogg
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3 hours.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:33 pm
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The link in the op opens but I can't connect to the feed.
Anyone else having any issues ?


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:33 pm
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so, while he may, whilst at altitude, travel faster than sound does at sea level, he still wont technically be supersonic, is that correct?

They seem to be expecting his max speed to be about the same as sound at sea level (340m/s) or maybe a bit faster after thirty seconds or so of free fall.

At jump altitude the speed of sound is around 315m/s and on the way down it actually decreases to start with... so he should definitely be supersonic "locally" as it were.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:33 pm
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3 hours.

So time to make a cup of tea then


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:35 pm
 rogg
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And to enjoy your biscuit of choice. Launch put back by 30 mins...


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:37 pm
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Just in the travelling supersonic debate.....the comment i heard on radio 4 this morning stated that one of the key concerns was the impact on felix when going through the sound barrier (sonic boom or is that just phrasing rather than actual effect?) could cause him to spin out of control....which would imply they are expecting him to break the sound barrier and the issues associated with that rather than a theoretically breaking it.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:39 pm
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I'm watching on my phone as youtube is blocked at work. I know this is Roswell but there's all sorts of little dots flying about the screen 😆


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:41 pm
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one of the key concerns was the impact on felix when going through the sound barrier (sonic boom or is that just phrasing rather than actual effect?) could cause him to spin out of control.

All sorts of nasty aerodynamic stuff happens at transonic speeds...hence it was such a big deal figuring out how to design aircraft to handle it.

OTOH he's up in such thin air that the shock forces etc will be correspondingly reduced, presumably its not going to be anywhere near as bad as going supersonic at sea level.

The sonic boom is just the compressed shock wave you're pushing out around you, which can't escape out in front fast enough....the aerodynamics get weirdest when you're just below/above the speed of sound so you're stuck right in the shock wave with airflow that's varying from subsonic to supersonic in different areas around the airframe (...or indeed, body).


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 12:50 pm
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There's a bit about the speed of sound stuff here. http://www.redbullstratos.com/science/speed-of-sound/

One of the things I find odd, looking at the technical details, is the use of imperial measurements.
I know the USA hasn't caught up with the rest of the world in that respect yet, but I still can't get used to the idea of reading about cutting edge technology in terms that I associate with steam engines and vintage vehicles.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 1:02 pm
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Yeah logged on via iPad and delayed launch.. and a delayed lunch.

Oh well.

Have to catch it second hand on the train laters.. bummer, this was going t be epic, well it still could be but i'll miss it live..


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 1:03 pm
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Just to be pedantic and because its the done thing on STW...

Pressure does not affect the speed of sound in air, its a temperature thang.
[url= http://www.grc.nasa.gov/WWW/BGH/atmosi.html ]NASA Java speed of sound simulator to play with[/url]


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 1:10 pm
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It's density, which is in turn affected by pressure and temperature, PV = nRT and all that innit


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 1:15 pm
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There was a plan for an emergency, single person re-entry device. It was in the form of a heat shield that was made in orbit and that the user lay on

like an interplantary surfboard? Cool...


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 1:18 pm
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Launch delayed again now so it's going to be this evening before the jump (if it even happens).


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 1:40 pm
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like an interplantary surfboard? Cool...

Wow! just like the Silver Surfer! I want one.


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 2:03 pm
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"Dang"

I really wanted this to go ahead now.. not tonight, not laters..

Have a word..


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 2:08 pm
 flip
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Countdown on hold till 11.30 MDT 😕


 
Posted : 09/10/2012 2:49 pm
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The cosmic surfboard idea...


 
Posted : 10/10/2012 8:34 am
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[img] [/img]


 
Posted : 14/10/2012 1:00 pm
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It's on. Currently at 21000m


 
Posted : 14/10/2012 4:42 pm
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so when is he scheduled to jump (approx) then?


 
Posted : 14/10/2012 4:51 pm
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http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/psa-redbull-stratos-on-now

Another hour or so before the jump


 
Posted : 14/10/2012 4:54 pm
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Wow what a guy, well done to him 🙂


 
Posted : 14/10/2012 6:18 pm
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The most bonkers thing I have ever seen 😀


 
Posted : 14/10/2012 6:22 pm
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Wow - amazing, whole family gripped by live feed.


 
Posted : 14/10/2012 6:24 pm

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