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Sonic Skydive's Real Aim Is To Help Astronauts Survive
mattnyc99 writes "Earlier this year came reports that Felix Baumgartner (the daredevil who flew across the English Channel) would be attempting to jump from a balloon at least 120,000 feet altitude, break the sound barrier, and live. Now comes a big investigative story from Esquire's issue on achieving the impossible, which details the former NASA team dedicated to making sure Baumgartner's Stratos project will instruct the future safety of manned space flight (including Jonathan Clark, the husband of an astronaut who died in the Columbia disaster). From the article (which also includes pics and video shot by the amateur space photographer we've discussed here before): 'that's also precisely what makes Stratos great. It's more like Mercury than the shuttle: They're taking risks, making things up as they go along. But they're also doing important work, potentially groundbreaking work. They're doing what NASA no longer has the balls to do. Hell, he'd do it for free. He is doing it for free. Stratos only picks up his travel expenses. Clark looks at his friend, shrugs. "This is new space."'"
It's rude to spoil a good argument with facts.
objects in low Earth orbit are traveling somewhere north of 14,000 mph
That's why they jump backwards.
If brevity is the soul of wit, then how does one explain Twitter?
Yeah, they just make the other person believe what they already said more anyway.
Is 1563649 a prime number?
That jumper better hope not....
That's right. They need people to cook and clean in space to~
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
"But they're also doing important work, potentially groundbreaking work."
Only if the parachute fails...
I just had the honor of witnessing a conversation between Bruce friggin Perens and a guy with a lower uid than Bruce friggin Perens.
Words fail. Thank you.