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Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 1:33 pm

Currently held up due to high winds, here is a link to live coverage. It needs javascript to load - it didnt work on my laptop but fine on my PC.

http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/

There is a 20 second delay, so if Mr Bumgardner goes splat we don't have to see it.

Skydive from space: everything you need to know - interactive

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 2:12 pm

Hold on, if I understand right the guy's jumping out of his balloon 23 miles up and hoping to go super-sonic. Tell me why high winds are a problem? Razz

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 2:30 pm

Something called jet streams could pose a problem i suppose. Winds that reside at an altitude of 11 km above sea level, and on his way down Mr Bumgardner will have to pass that altitude. And seeing as these can reach wind speeds of up to 400 km/h it is unlikely that it will be a good place for him to be. However i am not sure that this is the explanation for the delay, but it one possibility.

Disclaimer: For conversion to imperial system, please consult Pastor Frank.

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 2:40 pm

Red Bull Stratos - Weather plays a vital role

If it's binned today, they wont have another go until Thursday. Mr Bumgardner hopes to be the first person to break the sound barrier without the aid of a vehicle.

ETA I have enough trouble with the wind launching a Chinese lantern, so I can see why they're cautious with a 550 ft tall balloon. Pastor Frank will tell you what that is in metric, he also converts to GMT, and points out when they say 17.30 GMT, that's half 6 in real UK money.

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 4:16 pm

Looks like it's back on, and they are laying out and filling up the balloon. He should begin his ascent in about an hour or so.

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 4:29 pm

Incredible. Very best of luck to him.

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 4:54 pm

WHHHHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE SPLAT Rolling Eyes

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 5:05 pm

If his suit leaks, his blood will boil and his eyeballs will burst, so more like Splat! Wheeee!

ETA: they just tried to launch, and a gust of wind flattened the balloon straight away. Attempt abandoned for today.

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 5:45 pm

Launch scrubbed because of wind. Sad

Posted: Tue Oct 09, 2012 5:52 pm

Yup, no Whhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee today.

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 6:39 pm

I thought terminal velocity was an absolute...unless he can make himself completely aerodynamic...

Posted: Fri Oct 12, 2012 7:12 pm

Terminal velocity will change with air density; at high altitudes the air is extremely thin but gravity still gives him the same weight. So he can fall faster (adopting a "clean" position to fall would also help by reducing drag further). Like diving into water instead of treacle.*

Also, because of the reduced temperature the speed of sound will actually be less than at sea level. His window of opportunity would seem to be between 36km and 20km, where the air density starts to get really high. The speed of sound actually drops between 36km and 20km, then rises after 11km. At 20km up it is around 220m/s as opposed to 330m/s at sea level - 512 mph vs 768 mph in old money.

Worth noting that in higher pressure environments lower to the ground, supersonic airflows are extremely dangerous. The Russian air force experienced a number of fatalities during otherwise perfect mid air ejections and traced it to the impact of air at 800-1000mph as the seat left the cockpit. after a while they developed a sort of ladle-shaped thing that popped up between the pilot's knees and provided a windbreak which diverted the air around him during ejection. Interesting stuff, aerodynamics.

*if anyone else is up for this PM me Wink

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 1:21 pm

Skydive scheduled again.

http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 3:52 pm

We have a liftoff.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 4:32 pm

Anytime now ready to jump !!!

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 4:58 pm

At 80,000 feet at the moment, he will jump at 120,000.

Very good live feed, you can really see the curvature of the Earth. Its scary enough to think of going that high at all, without jumping out!

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:02 pm

Yeah the commentator confused me as I first logged on, its bizarre, its really boring to watch at present, but very compelling at the same time.

Chrome is coping much better with the feed than Firefox, which is odd....

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 5:04 pm

Hope he used the toilet before he got in the capsule.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 6:14 pm

That was freaking awesome!!!!!

He's still at 6000 feet and coming down with parachute deployed.

Amazing!

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 6:15 pm

The tumbling was scary, I though he's had it then.

Well done Felix!!

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 6:23 pm

^^^I was worried about that, too! I thought he was tumbling out of control.

Looks like he broke sound barrier, broke record for highest jump, but may not have broken longest free-falling record.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 6:25 pm

My feed had problems all the way up and.. guess what... it froze just as he stepped out of the capsule, when it resumed he was a rapidly fading white dot. Typical.
Grrrr Sad

The speed counter in the first 40s of his fall was frighteningly fast! I think he topped out at 770mph*! Shocked

But hey! He's down and in one piece, so kudos to him for that.

*EDIT: top speed is now confirmed at 729mph.

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 6:26 pm

In one piece and with a graceful landing... I enjoyed that! Must have been a mental atmosphere watching the moon landings

Posted: Sun Oct 14, 2012 6:37 pm

Truely amazing, loved the nonchalant landing as if he had just stepped of a kerb.

Master of Master Baiters Joined: 30 Mar 2012 Posts: 949

That was amazing.

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