|
Interesting O/T
|
--- Begin Message --- Title: Breaking the Sound Barrier Without an AircraftTall tale or real event????
> >> >Breaking the Sound Barrier Without an Aircraft -
> DRS -16-Jan-04
> >> >
> >> >Joe Kittinger is not a household aviation name
> like Neil Armstrong or
> >
> >> >Chuck Yeager. But what he did for the U.S.
> space program is
> >> >comparable.
> >> >
> >> >On Aug. 16, 1960, as research for the
> then-fledgling U.S. space
> >> >program, Air Force Captain Joseph Kittinger rode
> a helium balloon to
> >> >the edge of
> >>
> >> >space, 102,800 feet above the earth, a feat in
> itself. Then, wearing
> >>just
> >> >a thin pressure suit and breathing supplemental
> oxygen, he leaned
> >> >over
> >>the
> >> >cramped confines of his gondola and jumped--into
> the
> >>110-degree-below-zero,
> >> >near-vacuum of space. Within seconds his body
> accelerated to 714mph
> >> >in
> >>the
> >> >thin air, breaking the sound barrier. After
> free-falling for more
> >> >than
> >>
> >> >four and a half minutes, slowed finally by
> friction from the heavier
> >>air
> >> >below, he felt his parachute open at 14,000
> feet, and he coasted
> >> >gently
> >>
> >> >down to the New Mexico desert floor.
> >> >
> >> >Kittinger's feat showed scientists that
> astronauts could survive the
> >> >harshness of space with just a pressure suit and
> that man could eject
> >>from
> >> >aircraft at extreme altitudes and survive. Upon
> Kittinger's return
> >> >to base, a congratulatory telegram was waiting
> from the Mercury Seven
> >
> >> >astronauts--including Alan Shepard and John
> Glenn.
> >> >
> >> >More than four decades later Kittinger's two
> world records--the
> >> >highest
> >>
> >> >parachute jump, and the only man to break the
> sound barrier without a
> >>craft
> >> >and live--still stand. We decided to visit the
> retired colonel and
> >> >Aviation Hall of Famer, now 75, at his home in
> Altamonte Springs,
> >>Florida,
> >> >to recall his historic jump.
> >> >
> >> >FORBES GLOBAL: Take us back to New Mexico and
> Aug.16, 1960.
> >> >
> >> >Joe Kittinger: We got up at 2 a.m. to start
> filling the helium
> >> >balloon
> >>
> >> >At
> >> >sea level, it was 35 to 40 feet wide and 200
> feet high; at altitude,
> >>due to
> >> >the low air pressure, it expanded to 25 stories
> in width, and still
> >> >was
> >>20
> >> >stories high! At 4 a.m. I began breathing pure
> oxygen for two
> >> >hours.
> >>
> >> >That's how long it takes to remove all the
> nitrogen from your blood
> >> >so
> >>you
> >> >don't get the bends going so high so fast. Then
> it was a lengthy
> >> >dress
> >>
> >> >procedure layering warm clothing under my
> pressure suit. They kept
> >> >me
> >>in
> >> >air- conditioning until it was time to launch
> because we were in the
> >>desert
> >> >and I wasn't supposed to sweat. If I did, my
> clothes would freeze on
> >>the
> >> >way up.
> >> >
> >> >How was your ascent?
> >> >
> >> >It took an hour and a half to get to altitude.
> It was cold. At
> >> >40,000
> >>
> >> >feet, the glove on my right hand hadn't
> inflated. I knew that if I
> >>radioed
> >> >my doctor, he would abort the flight. If that
> happened, I knew I
> >> >might
> >>
> >> >never get another chance because there were lots
> of people who didn't
> >>want
> >> >this test to happen. I took a calculated risk,
> that I might lose use
> >>of my
> >> >right hand. It quickly swelled up, and I did
> lose use for the
> >> >duration
> >>of
> >> >the flight. But the rest of the pressure suit
> worked. When I
> >> >reached 102,800 feet, maximum altitude, I wasn't
> quite over the
> >> >target. So I drifted for 11 minutes. The winds
> were out of the
> >> >east.
> >> >
> >> >What's it look like from so high up?
> >> >
> >> >You can see about 400 miles in every direction.
> The formula is 1.25
> >> >x the sq. root of the altitude in thousands of
> feet. (The square
> >> >root of 102,000 ft is 319 X 1.25 = 399 miles)
> The most fascinating
> >> >thing is
> >>that
> >> >it's just black overhead--the transition from
> normal blue to black is
> >>very
> >> >stark. You can't see stars because there's a
> lot of glare from the
> >>sun, so
> >> >your pupils are too small. I was struck with
> the beauty of it. But
> >> >I
> >>was
> >> >also struck by how hostile it is: more than 100
> degrees below zero,
> >> >no
> >>air.
> >> > If my protection suit failed, I would be dead
> in a few seconds.
> >>Blood
> >> >actually boils above 62,000 feet.
> >> >
> >> >I went through my 46-step checklist,
> disconnected from the balloon's
> >> >power supply and lost all communication with the
> ground. I was
> >> >totally under
> >>
> >> >power from the kit on my back. When everything
> was done, I stood up,
> >
> >> >turned around to the door, took one final look
> out and said a silent
> >> >prayer: "Lord, take care of me now." Then I just
> jumped over the
> >> >side.
> >> >
> >> >What were you thinking as you took that step?
> >> >
> >> >It's the beginning of a test. I had gone
> through simulations many
> >> >times--more than 100. I rolled over and looked
> up, and there was the
> >
> >> >balloon just roaring into space. I realized
> that the balloon wasn't
> >> >roaring into space; I was going down at a
> fantastic rate! At about
> >>90,000
> >> >feet, I reached 714mph. The altimeter on my
> wrist was unwinding very
> >
> >> >rapidly. But there was no sense of speed.
> Where you determine speed
> >>is
> >> >visual--if you see something go flashing by.
> But nothing flashes by
> >> >20
> >>
> >> >miles up--there are no signposts there, and you
> are way above any
> >>clouds.
> >> >When the chute opened, the rest of the jump was
> anticlimactic because
> >
> >> >everything had worked perfectly. I landed 12 or
> 13 minutes later,
> >> >and there was my crew waiting. We were elated.
> >> >
> >> >How about your right hand?
> >> >
> >> >It hurt--there was quite a bit of swelling and
> the blood pressure in
> >> >my
> >>
> >> >arm
> >> >was high. But that went away in a few days, and
> I regained full use
> >> >of
> >>my
> >> >hand.
> >> >
> >> >What about attempts to break your record?
> >> >
> >> >We did it for air crews and astronauts--for the
> learning, not to set
> >> >a record. They will be going up as skydivers.
> Somebody will beat it
> >
> >> >someday. Records are made to be busted. And
> I'll be elated. But
> >> >I'll also be concerned that they're properly
> trained. If they're
> >> >not, they're
> >>taking a
> >> >heck of a risk.
> >> >
> >> >Columnist Jim Clash is author of To the Limits
> (John Wiley &Sons,
> >> >2003)
> >>
> >> >and
> >> >a Fellow at the Explorers Club.
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com
--- End Message ---
============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/
