Red Bull space jump

[lustindarkness]

Does it say anywhere what happened to the capsule? Did it just crash down?



And I vote we send both Ide and Tim up to test this further, we can drop them at different altitudes. We can also include Lettow, but I am not sure we can afford 3 space suits. 

[Ed Anger]

Does it say anywhere what happened to the capsule? Did it just crash down?



And I vote we send both Ide and Tim up to test this further, we can drop them at different altitudes. We can also include Lettow, but I am not sure we can afford 3 space suits. 

Lettow will be sent up in a burlap sack.

[Berkut]

Does it say anywhere what happened to the capsule? Did it just crash down?

As soon as it was confirmed that Baumgartner had landed safely, the attention of mission control shifted to the balloon and capsule. The team remotely detached the capsule from the balloon, allowing it to fall back to Earth under its own parachute. It hit the ground 55 miles east of Baumgartner's own landing site. The balloon was deflated via a nylon "destruct line", with the lightweight balloon material – known as the envelope – falling back to Earth to be gathered and removed by truck. The capsule could, in theory, be used again, but the balloon envelope can only be used once.

[lustindarkness]

Does it say anywhere what happened to the capsule? Did it just crash down?

As soon as it was confirmed that Baumgartner had landed safely, the attention of mission control shifted to the balloon and capsule. The team remotely detached the capsule from the balloon, allowing it to fall back to Earth under its own parachute. It hit the ground 55 miles east of Baumgartner's own landing site. The balloon was deflated via a nylon "destruct line", with the lightweight balloon material – known as the envelope – falling back to Earth to be gathered and removed by truck. The capsule could, in theory, be used again, but the balloon envelope can only be used once.

Cool stuff. 

[sbr]

Why do space walking astronauts float next to the shuttle and not fall to earth?

The same reason the shuttle itself doesn't fall to earth, the astronaut's in orbit.  It doesn't matter if they are inside or outside the shuttle.

So my original point

If you get too far away the earth's gravity will no longer pull you down and you would just float in space.

stands.

[frunk]

Why do space walking astronauts float next to the shuttle and not fall to earth?

The same reason the shuttle itself doesn't fall to earth, the astronaut's in orbit.  It doesn't matter if they are inside or outside the shuttle.

So my original point

If you get too far away the earth's gravity will no longer pull you down and you would just float in space.

stands.

Being far away from a gravitational source isn't the same as being in orbit.  Earth still pulls on you no matter where you are (just like you pull on the earth).  Being in orbit is, as Raz stated, like continually falling but missing.  I think a diagram would work best.  Astronaut is a, Earth is E, the G arrow shows the direction of Earth's pull on the astronaut, the M arrow the direction of motion.

     M
a  ---->

|
| G
V

E

So gravity is pulling the astronaut directly towards Earth, but his relative velocity to the Earth means that by the time a has reached E in the vertical plane they are to the side in the horizontal plane.

      G
E <---- a
           |
           | M
          V

If we compare that to an astronaut with no relative velocity to the Earth, even if extremely far away:

a

|
| G
V

E

If the only thing acting on the astronaut is Earth's gravitational pull, they'll drop straight down like an apple falling from a tree.

[DGuller]

I wonder how far away from earth you have to be before farting leads to a fatal course deviation?  Or is that not going to matter unless your space suit has a hole in the ass?

[Eddie Teach]

You should probably hold it just to be safe.

[Berkut]

http://spaceplace.nasa.gov/how-orbits-work/

[Syt]

[alfred russel]

Syt, I've been watching for a couple hours--exactly how many cats are there?

[Eddie Teach]

 

Cats are such lemmings.

[Syt]

Holy Thread Necromancy, Batman!

The record has been broken, with significantly less fanfare than when Baumgartner did it.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2014/oct/25/google-executive-alan-eustace-beats-felix-baumgartners-skydiving-record

Google executive Alan Eustace beats Felix Baumgartner's skydiving record

Eustace jumps 130,000ft from edge of space, hitting 822mph, after ascent in a balloon

Google executive Alan Eustace has broken the sound barrier and set several skydiving records over the southern New Mexico desert after taking a big leap from the edge of space.

Eustace jumped from over 130,000ft in a specially designed spacesuit, beating the mark set by the Austrian Felix Baumgartner in 2012. Eustace hit a top speed of 822mph during a freefall that lasted four-and-a-half minutes.

The supersonic jump was part of a project by Paragon Space Development Corp and its Stratospheric Explorer team, which has been working secretly for years to develop a self-contained commercial spacesuit that would allow people to explore some 20 miles above the Earth's surface.

The technology that has gone into developing the balloon, the spacesuit and the other systems that were used in Friday's launch will be used to advance commercial spaceflight, namely efforts by Arizona-based World View Enterprises to take paying tourists up in a high-altitude balloon and luxury capsule starting in late 2016.

As more people head into the stratosphere, the spacesuits could be adapted for emergency rescues or other scientific endeavours, officials said.

After nearly three years of intense planning, development and training, Eustace began his ascent via a high-altitude, helium-filled balloon just as the sun was rising.

It took more than two hours to hit an altitude of 135,890 feet (41,419 metres), from which he separated himself from the balloon and started plummeting back to Earth.

Jim Hayhurst, director of competition at the United States Parachute Association, was the jump's official observer. He said Eustace deployed a drogue parachute that gave him incredible stability and control despite the massive Mach 1.23 speed reached during the freefall.

Eustace did not feel it when he broke the sound barrier, but the ground crew certainly heard the resulting sonic boom, Hayhurst said.

"He just said it was a fabulous view. He was thrilled," Hayhurst said of his conversation with Eustace after he landed.

The supersonic skydive happened with little fanfare, out of the media spotlight, unlike the 2012 attempt by daredevil Baumgartner and the Red Bull Stratos team.

Baumgartner, who was taken aloft in a capsule with the help of millions of dollars in sponsorships, had set the previous altitude record by jumping from 128,100 feet (39,045 meters).