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Space Diving: Iron Man Meets Star Trek Suit In Development
cylonlover writes "Science fiction may well become reality with the development of a real life Iron Man suit that would allow astronauts or extreme thrill seekers to space dive from up to 62 miles (100 km) above the Earth's surface at the very edge of space, and safely land using thruster boots instead of a parachute. Hi-tech inventors over at Solar System Express (Sol-X) and biotech designers Juxtopia LLC (JLLC) are collaborating on this project with a goal of releasing a production model of such a suit by 2016. The project will use a commercial space suit to which will be added augmented reality (AR) goggles, jet packs, power gloves and movement gyros."
...to which will be added augmented reality (AR) goggles, jet packs, power gloves and movement gyros.
I'd love the power gloves– they're so bad.
I understand their efforts to relate it to the Iron Man and Star Trek suits, and while this may contribute to the development thereof, it's not quite there yet...and I think it's nuts, but would be fun if the freefall works.
I'm waiting for nanotube muscle fibers that, with EEG, operate as a part of the body. From there, armor and flight capabilities.
Re just in case nobody want to read this they actually did a bit of research
From the article..
So where have we seen this before? If you are a Trekker, you will remember the scenes from 2009's Star Trek (The Future Begins) where James T. Kirk, Hikaru Sulu and Chief Engineer Olson performed a space dive to the Narada's drill platform. They jumped from a shuttle craft above planet Vulcan wearing high tech suits and used parachutes to land on the rig. “Super” Trekkers will also know about the space dive scene cut from the 1998 Star Trek Generations movie and the holodeck simulated "orbital skydiving" in Star Trek Voyager (Episode 5x03), also in 1998.
So more than just a headline reference to suck in the readers.
Drunkeness is an electron free version of virtual reality.
Vaporware is exactly what this is. The red bull team spent years designing and prepping for their suit, and it was a one off. These guys are going to have a suit production ready by 2016? Hogwash.
Seems like vaporware to me, it seems to take every precaution they can think to survive the trip but no mention of the actual energy required to make a safe landing form that altitude. Jet boots need fuel and no parachute is mentioned.
I don't see how this could possibly end badly.
You're hurtling to your demise at past the speed of sound in atmospheric conditions that would literally make your blood boil. How much more extra sense of realism and stimulation do you need at that point?
If the astronaut moved her/his leg the wrong way, it could be melted off by the jets. Then what will (s)he do?
Why, scream, of course. ....
But as we all know, in space, no one
The problem, in my limited understanding, is that any "suit" sturdy enough to support re-entry will in reality be a capsule. Even if it has dividers for arms and legs. With today's technology, it's going to be a far cry from "free flight", and more like going over the Niagara falls in a steel barrel. Some would want to, but I doubt it would be very enjoyable.
If you can have a parachute, why not include a parachute? I'd consider retroboosters as the backup system, not the primary, for safety. By the time you're close enough to the ground to fire them, the parachute is no longer an option, so if they fail, you get about 3 seconds to contemplate your own stupidity before cratering.
A company that can provide two layers of life-saving security and yet only manufactures one should be charged with manslaughter, but instead we're allowing it because it caters to thrillseekers? Where was this kind of logic during the anti-smoking campaigns of yesteryear? "Smoking is okay; it's a thrill-seeking behavior!" Yeah.... okay, sure.
#fuckbeta #iamslashdot #dicemustdie
How'd you solve the icing problem?
Does it come in 3XL or bigger?
I'm not really a trekkie, but you know what, I am really enjoying the latest movies.
It's not really "re-entry", 61 miles is at the "edge of space" rather than in space. In fact the original spacesuits for the Mercury project were tested by some guy in a helium balloon floating at a similar height. There was no way to land the balloon so he made a planned parachute jump while still wearing the suit. Even though he had to free fall for over 90% of the drop his velocity peaked around the speed of sound, which is pretty fast for a parachuting but still way to slow to burn up. The only thing novel about this project are the jet packs, but they've been promising those for a long time.
And did you exchange a walk on part in the war for a lead role in a cage? - Pink Floyd.
Also, Spock uses rocket boots to save Kirk from a free-climbing fall.
Felix Baumgartner adjusted his scarf and cleaned his horn rimmed glasses before mumbling something about space jumping before it got popular.
Re just in case nobody want to read this they actually did a bit of research
From the article.. So where have we seen this before? If you are a Trekker, you will remember the scenes from 2009's Star Trek (The Future Begins) where James T. Kirk, Hikaru Sulu and Chief Engineer Olson...
...also known as the Expendable One in the red suit...(I started laughing like crazy when I saw this the first time, for I knew if they kept to tradition, he was as good as dead.)
...did it before anyone knew how to do it and walk away after.
Just ask Pyotr Ivanovich Dolgov.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens
In the early 1960's, General Electric was working on an emergency "bail-out" system for astronauts in low-earth orbit. http://www.astronautix.com/craft/moose.htm
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MOOSE
Land using rocket boots. Nope. 90% death rate for that one. the Human body does NOT have the strength to handle controlling and vectoring thrust with the legs. Anyone trying this will simply die. And it's a very stupid idea. A parachute works great, I'd rather have that than a giant tank of rocket fuel on my back.
Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
Until Elon Musk starts a company to do this, I'll consider it basically suicide. When Elon Musk tells me it can be done and he puts together something that can do it, I'll sign up in a heartbeat.
-- "Government is the great fiction through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else."
So, what happens if one or both legs fail? By the time it is needed to power the boosters, a parachute would probably already have been deployed for a safe landing. If not, then whats the benefit. What are the backup measures in place?
A big tarp with a hay bale in the middle. The hay bale is to arrest the fall of the jumper. The tarp makes the inevitable outcome easier to clean up.
John
"I see you are trying to start the thruster boots, would you like help with that?"
In NSA America social networks join you!
iirc Spock shot the one over earth with the future ship.the dive was over Vulcan.
I believe in karma, which is why, when I do something bad to people, I assume they deserve it.
n/t
Paul: Father... father, the sleeper has awakened! - Dune
riight.. I can't grasp the 62 mi. altitude limit ... Surely the enironment at that altitude is essentially the same as at 300 miles, no? I mean, if ya wanna thriLLL GO for it!
Oxygen, etc, should not be a problem .. nor can i think of any other safety issue more far-fetched than the project itself (other than the stupid 'boot thruster' idea!)
"There are 11 kinds of people: those who know binary, those who don't, and those who could not care less!"
"safely land using thruster boots instead of a parachute" Completely incorrect. According to the article and video, the suit will use not one, but TWO parachutes. As for the boots, they are not really "Iron Man" type thrusters, but simply for ensuring a smoother parachute-assisted landing (and probably mainly to look cool): From the article: "The other main function of the diver’s gyroscopic boots will kick in as he nears the surface of the Earth and he fires off his miniature in-built aerospike thrusters to gently descend to the ground for a feet-first perfect landing. " This is AFTER both parachutes have deployed. It seems like window dressing to me.
A concept illustrated by Lee J. Ames from the 1959 book "Man’s Reach Into Space" by Roy A. Gallant. http://mfwright.com/spacebailout.html
mfwright@batnet.com
"Space dive" to me sounds like a process whereby one dives into space, not from out of it, but I'm probably being semantically pedantic.
Look back up at my post, now look back down, you're on the Internet. Now look back up. I'm a signature.
... commercial space suit ...
To a Lisp hacker, XML is S-expressions in drag.
Trekkie fights aren't quite as much fun as girl fights because of the reduced chance that there will be exposed boobs and the increased chance that exposed boobs might be attached to a male.
Still entertaining though. I'll egg it on just a little... Did Scotty still invent trans-warp beaming, even though Spock Classic gave him the equation?
"Lame" - Galaxar
Old star trek does have some documentary qualities, with the captain's log being a comparable narrative style. The older Star Trek was far more cerebral than the recent two movies, but it's easier to fit cerebral into a lower budget-per-minute production. (And shorter movies need more action to get butts in the seats :p )
Charisma is the measure of someone's ability to lie with a straight face.
I never understood how the fuck Iron Man's jet boots are supposed to work. They're clearly rocket motors, but somehow powered by his arc reactor which afaik just produces a lot of electric power? Unless he's invented the most badass ion drive units ever it makes completely no sense.