Supersonic Jump

[lsvboombox]

So did he deploy the chute "early?"

I think it was on auto deploy. Not sure.. But kittinger jumped from 103k and deployed at 18k. Felix jumped from 130 and deployed at 5k. They expected a freefall of 5 minutes. Guess the math was wrong

[BensonWdby]

I think the plan was to deploy at 5000 but I think it was actually quite a bit higher - I am going to say 8000. He was riding the canopy for a very long time.

My question is - How did he find the landing zone from 128000 feet. He had to pass thorugh the jet stream - so you got to believe he was quite a ways east when he stepped out. Presumably GPS would get him in headed in the right direction. But the capsule also came down in the same general vicinity.

[maxpower220]

The first altitude reading announce after the chute was open was 6800'. It leads me to believe that the chute opened around 7800-8000'.

Skydivers pretty much fall like rocks. Winds have very little effect on them. I believe that this time of the year was pick due to no jet stream in NM. They had to delay due to winds for a few days.

[deerfield]

This is funny. Per Andrea Mitchell and MSNBC, this chap traveled "faster than the speed of light." Ya, right.

http://twitchy.com/2012/10/15/scienc...peed-of-light/

[BensonWdby]

The first altitude reading announce after the chute was open was 6800'. It leads me to believe that the chute opened around 7800-8000'.

Skydivers pretty much fall like rocks. Winds have very little effect on them. I believe that this time of the year was pick due to no jet stream in NM. They had to delay due to winds for a few days.

I was thinking more about the impact on the way up. At one point they were talking about his speed approaching 100mph - at the same time they were talking about the jet stream - so I put them togehter in my head and figured he was going down range. Since it took him a couple hours to go 23 miles up - that is hardly in the neighborhood of 100mph. Maybe in the days to come they will show his relative starting point over the launch point.

Nonetheless - it was amazing to watch.