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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
A(n arguably insane?) Frenchman, Michel Fournier, plans to free fall from 130,000 feet over Saskatchewan later this week. To put it into perspective, that is more than twice as high as the Concorde flew, and he will break the sound barrier as he free falls.
http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/ne......3b766a79 http://www.legrandsaut.org/index.php?lang=eng http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/24/sports......=5087%0A In May 2008 an extraordinary project will bind France, Canada and a single man for an historic supersonic free fall. Michel Fournier will drop out of the stratosphere from an altitude from about 130,000 feet (40 kilometers, nearly 25 miles) above the plains of Saskatchewan, Canada, and will contribute to the development of future technologies and the safety of stratospheric flight. The 4 world records : - Altitude record for freefall - Altitude record for human balloon flight - Time record for longest freefall - Speed record for fastest freefall
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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The Drake Inner circle 2274 Posts |
It will have to be something spectacular to get much press. It was done 40 years ago and nobody had bothered since.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9MkB6NkQscI Best, Tim |
balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
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On 2008-05-25 17:44, Timothy Drake wrote: Actually, Tim, several people HAVE tried since. They just haven't succeeded. And Michel Fournier has gotten great press already. His story was on the cover of many international newspapers this weekend. http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/s......nal/home
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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The Drake Inner circle 2274 Posts |
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On 2008-05-25 19:46, balducci wrote: In the words of Johnny Carson..." Hmmm... I did not know that." I'll be watching! Best, Tim |
kcg5 Inner circle who wants four fried chickens and a coke 1868 Posts |
I think an air force guy named joesph kittenger jumped out of a ballon at about 130,000. he broke the sound barrier, and was the first man in space.
Nobody expects the spanish inquisition!!!!!
"History will be kind to me, as I intend to write it"- Sir Winston Churchill |
balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
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On 2008-05-25 20:08, kcg5 wrote: It was not even close to 130,000 feet. It was only just over 100,000. See the video link in Tim's earlier post.
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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Josh Riel Inner circle of hell 1995 Posts |
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On 2008-05-25 20:10, balducci wrote: I think 100,000 is pretty close to 130,000.
Magic is doing improbable things with odd items that, under normal circumstances, would be unnessecary and quite often undesirable.
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
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On 2008-05-25 21:48, Josh Riel wrote: It's all relative, isn't it? Put into real terms, though, it is a great difference in height. Consider, Mount Everest's height is about 29,035 ft (6 ft higher than the old reported height of 29,029 ft since 1999).
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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Josh Riel Inner circle of hell 1995 Posts |
Where do you go to get the tape measure to measure a mountain. My local hardware store is ill equipped for my needs.
Magic is doing improbable things with odd items that, under normal circumstances, would be unnessecary and quite often undesirable.
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Patrick Differ Inner circle 1540 Posts |
I know some cats that got higher than that in college. Or was it high school? Back in the late 70's... I think.
Will you walk into my parlour? said the Spider to the Fly,
Tis the prettiest little parlour that ever you did spy; The way into my parlour is up a winding stair, And I've a many curious things to show when you are there. Oh no, no, said the little Fly, to ask me is in vain, For who goes up your winding stair -can ne'er come down again. |
kcg5 Inner circle who wants four fried chickens and a coke 1868 Posts |
Lolol
"ONLY"100,000 feet... I jumped 3 times at about 15,000 and I thought I was cool...
Nobody expects the spanish inquisition!!!!!
"History will be kind to me, as I intend to write it"- Sir Winston Churchill |
MagiClyde Special user Columbus, Ohio 871 Posts |
Here are the facts from Wikipedia. The jump actually took place in 1960, 48 years ago, not 40.
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Project Excelsior No matter how you slice it, that jump was impressive. Every time I see it, though, I get a slight sense of vertigo. Didn't kittinger pass away recently? I could be mistaken.
Magic! The quicker picker-upper!
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
One of the links I posted above explained about Kittinger's jump in great detail.
One of first links I posted up above (the NYTimes one) quoted Kittinger from just last week, so I think he is still alive. "Reached by phone last week at his home outside Orlando, Fla., Kittinger, 79, said he was surprised his record had stood for so long. Fournier and Kittinger correspond through e-mail. “I told him many years ago, it’s very hostile,” Kittinger said. “You’re in a vacuum, and your whole life is dependent on the pressure suit working properly. If the pressure suit fails, you die.”"
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
Bad news:
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/s......nal/home http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7421435.stm
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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ClintonMagus Inner circle Southwestern Southeast 3997 Posts |
I still can't understand why anyone would want to jump out of a perfectly good plane (or balloon)...
Things are more like they are today than they've ever been before...
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balducci Loyal user Canada 227 Posts |
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On 2008-05-27 10:18, ClintonMagus wrote: I can't tell whether or not you are being tongue in cheek. !@#uming you are being serious, the answer to your question would often be either for adventure and / or to advance science. In this case: Fournier's quest began in September 1988, "when the French space agency selected him to free fall and parachute from near-space. The mission was designed to test the potential for astronauts to escape without a space craft in an emergency. Only two years earlier, NASA’s Challenger shuttle disaster killed seven astronauts." "He got started after the space shuttle Challenger exploded in 1986 — with some of the astronauts surviving in high altitudes only to die at splashdown."
Make America Great Again! - Trump in 2020 ... "We're a capitalistic society. I go into business, I don't make it, I go bankrupt. They're not going to bail me out. I've been on welfare and food stamps. Did anyone help me? No." - Craig T. Nelson, actor.
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