DailyDirt: Sky Diving Without A Parachute....

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

We've mentioned Gary Connery before for his stunt of jumping out of a helicopter at 2,400 feet without a parachute -- which is a pretty high altitude, but not exactly an Alan Eustace or Felix Baumgartner record-breaking altitude. Sky diving without a parachute is generally a once-in-a-lifetime experience, though. But there are some exceptions.

• If you find yourself free falling at 35,000 feet in the air, there are some tips to remember. More than a handful of people have survived falling from incredible heights, and a collection of their stories is available for research purposes. A person's terminal velocity is about 120 mph, and you should try to lower that speed by creating as much drag as you possibly can (spread out your limbs, etc) -- aim for mud or snow (water is actually not a good substance to land in) and try not to land on your head. [url]
• Scott Plamer jumped out of a plane without a parachute, but he had a jump partner with a parachute and a harness that could secure Plamer for a tandem controlled descent. So this stunt was a variation of a Banzai skydive -- the most dangerous category in the Guinness Book of World Records that is still accepted. [url]
• Luke Aikins is planning a skydive from 25,000 feet without a parachute. In lieu of a parachute, Aikins will be falling into a 100 x 100 foot "deceleration net" to break his fall. [url]

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Filed Under: alan eustace, banzai skydive, felix baumgartner, free falling, gary connery, luke aikins, parachute, scott plamer, sky diving

DailyDirt: I'm Free... Free-Falling

from the urls-we-dig-up dept

There's been a bit of a resurgence in interest for manned spaceflight because the costs of launching vehicles to the edge of space aren't ludicrous anymore, just outrageously expensive. Despite the advances in rocket launching systems, there's always a chance that something could go wrong -- so ejecting escape pods at high altitudes seems like a good idea, right? Only a handful of people have even attempted to skydive from more than a few miles up. By the end of this year, though, a couple brave souls could set some skydiving records and pave the way for a new extreme sport.

• Felix Baumgartner is planning a free fall jump from an altitude of about 120,000 feet (~23 miles up). If it all works out, he'll break the sound barrier, traveling over 700 miles per hour. [url]
• Michel Fournier has attempted to skydive from about 25 miles up, but he seems to have run into a series of problems. Fournier is in his 60s, so he doesn't have too many more years left to cross this goal off his bucket list. [url]
• Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger holds the current record for high altitude skydiving -- at 102,800 feet -- from a jump he made in 1960. The Cold War really encouraged some crazy stunts.... [url]
• To discover more links on space exploration, check out what's floating around in StumbleUpon universe. [url]  

By the way, StumbleUpon can also recommend some good Techdirt articles, too.

Filed Under: altitude, parachute, skydiving, sound barrier, space, world record
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