Skydiving from 25 Miles Up

Posted by michael on Sunday July 14, 2002 @08:17AM from the life-flashing-before-your-eyes dept.

chisox writes "The Observer has a story about a retired French army colonel who is soon to make a free fall parachute jump from 25 miles up. In the process he will break the sound barrier, reaching a top speed of mach 1.68 before he opens his parachute 1,000 metres above the Earth. Of course, if the chute doesn't open, the hole he'll make will be about 1,000 metres deep." Well, actually his max speed will be high up and near the earth the atmosphere will have slowed him down to terminal velocity.

2 of 282 comments (clear)

Min score:

Reason:

Sort:

Champagne after landing. by garcia · 2002-07-14 08:25 · Score: 0, Flamebait

Damn French. I bet the previous record holder (American) had a beer :)
Re:well by macdaddy357 · 2002-07-14 09:15 · Score: 0, Flamebait

The chute won't even open. It will be frozen. A 200 pound popsicle will be stuck 50 feet into the ground. He will only prove that it can't be done.

--
How ya like dat?