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Computer Scientist Parachutes From 135,908 Feet, Breaking Record

Posted by Soulskill on from the touching-space dept.

An anonymous reader writes: The NY Times reports that Alan Eustace, a computer scientist and senior VP at Google, has successfully broken the record for highest freefall jump, set by Felix Baumgartner in 2012. "For a little over two hours, the balloon ascended at speeds up to 1,600 feet per minute to an altitude of 135,908 feet, more than 25 miles. Mr. Eustace dangled underneath in a specially designed spacesuit with an elaborate life-support system. He returned to earth just 15 minutes after starting his fall. ... Mr. Eustace cut himself loose from the balloon with the aid of a small explosive device and plummeted toward the earth at a speeds that peaked at more than 800 miles per hour, setting off a small sonic boom heard by observers on the ground. ... His technical team had designed a carbon-fiber attachment that kept him from becoming entangled in the main parachute before it opened. About four-and-a-half minutes into his flight, he opened the main parachute and glided to a landing 70 miles from the launch site."

34 of 175 comments (clear)

  1. Where's Bennett? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Has Bennett Haselton certified this record-breaking feat? I will not believe these claims until he has written a lengthy blog post on how this feat relates to Burning Man ice queues and distributed social networks.

    1. Re:Where's Bennett? by NoImNotNineVolt · · Score: 4, Funny

      After graduation, Haselton worked on Visual Basic at Microsoft for seven months.

      Yet another reason to hate him. Fuck.

      --
      Chuuch. Preach. Tabernacle.
    2. Re:Where's Bennett? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Dear Gods, don't you realize what you are doing? You are turning Bennett Haselton into a meme! Now the man will never die!!!

  2. Re:Ruuuuuz by i+kan+reed · · Score: 2

    It takes a dedicated conspiracist to declare how the elite are pulling the wool over our eyes at news of an incremental improvement in a record achievement.

  3. And if the attempt failed... by gestalt_n_pepper · · Score: 5, Funny

    He planned to go up and try it again.

    --
    Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
  4. That was quiet by GameboyRMH · · Score: 2

    Hadn't heard anything of this before today, I'll have to look for videos. I guess he didn't want to draw any attention.

    --
    "When information is power, privacy is freedom" - Jah-Wren Ryel
    1. Re:That was quiet by lq_x_pl · · Score: 2

      Sounds like that was his intent:
      Instead, Mr. Eustace planned his jump in the utmost secrecy, working for almost three years...

      --
      An internal system operation returned the error "The operation completed successfully.".
  5. Being a computer scientist by alaskana98 · · Score: 2

    it would have been cool if he would have jumped from 128,000 feet. ;)

    1. Re:Being a computer scientist by 0123456 · · Score: 3, Funny

      131,072 feet, surely?

    2. Re:Being a computer scientist by kqs · · Score: 2

      Wow, you have clearly never talked to a Google senior VP before.

    3. Re:Being a computer scientist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      HAVE

      131,072 feet would HAVE been cooler...

      The word "of" has no meaning in the context you typed it.

    4. Re:Being a computer scientist by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

      it would have been cool if he would have jumped from 128,000 feet. ;)

      That would only work if he was employed by Western Digital or Maxtor.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    5. Re:Being a computer scientist by Zynder · · Score: 2

      I suspect the OP deals in storage, and you and I still don't believe in those kibibits, so it didn't compute with us.

    6. Re:Being a computer scientist by St.Creed · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Ah. I see you wanted to share the very definition of "prejudice" with us by providing a clear example. Thank you.

      --
      Therefore, by the (faulty) logic you're using, you're just a cow with a keyboard - osu-neko (2604)
    7. Re:Being a computer scientist by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      I could care less what you think. For all intensive purpose the two phrases are one in the same. Which begs the question, are you the type of person that would cut off your nose despite your face?

      Irregardless, if you think you can extract revenge threw grammar nazi posts, you've got another think coming. I'll get off scott free!

      (I know I know, each phrase is worse than the next).

    8. Re:Being a computer scientist by mooingyak · · Score: 2

      That's the only one that bothered you?

      --
      William of Ockham had no beard. The most likely explanation is that it was chewed off by squirrels every morning.
    9. Re:Being a computer scientist by ray-auch · · Score: 2

      *woosh*

  6. Skydiving lesson by PPH · · Score: 5, Funny

    So this skydiving student goes on his first solo jump. When the plane gets up to altitude and over the target, he jumps. Falling to the proper altitude, he pulls the release on the main chute. Nothing.

    Fighting back panic, he remembers what they taught in class and pulls the release on the backup chute. Nothing happens again. Things are starting to look pretty grim as he watches the ground rapidly approach.

    Then, he notices a man, rising toward him from the ground. Odd, he thinks to himself. But what the hell ..... When this person gets within earshot, the skydiver yells, "Hey buddy! Do you know how to work a parachute?"

    "No", the other person replies. "Do you know how to light a Coleman stove?"

    --
    Have gnu, will travel.
    1. Re:Skydiving lesson by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      Are all skydiving jokes over your head?

    2. Re:Skydiving lesson by amiga3D · · Score: 2

      Being a geek you used logic to try to understand the joke thus fucking it up.

  7. That's how we CS people roll by SuperKendall · · Score: 5, Funny

    You can tell it was a REAL computer scientist because there was no "test first", just pure perfect action.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
    1. Re:That's how we CS people roll by bob_super · · Score: 3, Funny

      CS people are raised on "Do or do not. There is not Try"

  8. Not to be outdone by Spy+Handler · · Score: 4, Informative

    Vladimir Putin announced on Russian Times that he will jump from the Mir space station at an altitude of 300,000 kilometers to celebrate the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad.

    1. Re:Not to be outdone by cmdr_klarg · · Score: 4, Funny

      Vladimir Putin announced on Russian Times that he will jump from the Mir space station at an altitude of 300,000 kilometers to celebrate the upcoming 70th anniversary of the Battle of Stalingrad.

      Made even more of an awesome feat due to the fact that Mir had been de-orbited in 2001.

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      THE SOFTWARE, IT NO WORKY!!!
    2. Re:Not to be outdone by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 4, Funny

      Made even more of an awesome feat due to the fact that Mir had been de-orbited in 2001.

      OP failed to mention that, to make the jump possible, Mr. Putin first plans to throw Mir back into orbit.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    3. Re:Not to be outdone by G-Man · · Score: 3, Funny

      And then he's going to do the jump bare-chested. Riding a bear.

    4. Re:Not to be outdone by wbr1 · · Score: 2

      www.youtube.com/watch?v=13sxFHM6Mjg

      --
      Silence is a state of mime.
  9. He went up with just one single instruction... by orledrat · · Score: 2

    ...JA - Jump If Above.

  10. Record by bigdavex · · Score: 3, Funny

    Computer Scientist Parachutes From 135,908 Feet, Breaking Record

    What's the record for EEs? I might have a shot at that.

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    -Dave
    1. Re:Record by Zynder · · Score: 3, Funny

      128,908 + 14,337j feet....

  11. Baumgartner took too much credit by kooky45 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I watched Baumgartner's jump live and a follow up documentary on it and it seemed to me far too much credit for his jump was given to him. He got claustrophibic in the suit so dropped out of the project for an entire year and only came back when he got worried that a test pilot making test jumps in his place might do the actual record jump and deny him his press. I like this new one, seems to have been done for the right reasons.

    1. Re:Baumgartner took too much credit by Ancil · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I like this new one, seems to have been done for the right reasons.

      What exactly are "the right reasons"?

      I'm being serious. Is there some sort of "right" or "noble" reason to spend all this money jumping from slightly higher than the last guy who spent a lot of money?

      Am I missing something here? Off the top of my head, the only reasons which come to mind are "extreme wealth" and "boredom".

  12. Next record by ArcadeMan · · Score: 3, Funny

    The next record-breaking attempt will end badly with the man floating away into the emptiness of space.

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  13. Guinness, not Geek by Mister+Liberty · · Score: 3

    For the bizarre books that the former keep.
    Nothing to do with geeks even if (and increasingly 'precisely because') it involves Google.