20 Miles...straight down

FreeFaller

FreeFaller

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Just though I would post this. Alot of people never know this happened... This guy is my own personal hero...

Colonel Joseph Kittenger Jr. -Highest skydive in history...102,800 ft!

In freefall for four and a half minutes, Kittinger fell at speeds up to 714 mph, exceeding the speed of sound. He experienced temperatures as low as -94 degrees Fahrenheit. Kittinger opened his parachute at 18,000 feet and landed safely in the New Mexico desert after a 13 minute 45 second descent. On the way, he became the first man to exceed the speed of sound -- without a plane.

For the whole story and the reason behind the jump go to
Biography

bigjump.jpg
 
some of that sounds like BS to me... isnt 714 mph way way faster than terminal velocity? Maybe they did the math diffrently because of the height... just a couple thoughts


AWESOME pic though :)
 
Actually, the terminal velocity of a falling body occurs during free fall when a falling body experiences zero acceleration (not a set speed like many believe). This is because of the retarding force known as air resistance. Air resistance exists because air molecules collide into a falling body creating an upward force opposite gravity. This upward force will eventually balance the falling body's weight. It will continue to fall at constant velocity known as the terminal velocity.

The magnitude of terminal velocity depends on the weight of the falling body. For a heavy object, the terminal velocity is generally greater than a light object. This is because air resistance is proportional to the falling body's velocity squared. For an object to experience terminal velocity, air resistance must balance weight. An example that shows this phenomenon was the classic illustration of a rock and a feather being dropped simultaneously. In a vacuum with zero air resistance, these two objects will experience the same acceleration. But on the earth this is not true. Air resistance will equal weight more quickly for the feather than it would for the rock. Thus the rock would accelerate longer and experience a terminal velocity greater than the feather.

Terminal velocity is often reported to be approximately 60 m/s for a typical skydiver in free fall. Exceptional skydivers are able to increase this value considerably by diving head first with their arms against the sides of their bodies, legs held firmly together, and toes pointed. This posture presents a minimal projected area perpendicular to the direction of motion thus reducing aerodynamic drag. Special helmets and slick body suits reduce drag even further.

Just a little physics lesson...in case anyone gives a :q:q:q:q...
 
hey thanks a lot for that info, i always am thinking about terminal velocity situations and always need more info to really know what im trying to understand.
 
You know, I graduated with an engineering degree and just knew those Physics classes would come in handy one day!!
 
Yeah...one day while jumping out of a perfectly good airplane I thought... "How the hell am I going faster than 130 ish mph? Isn't that terminal velocity?" So I looked it up and learned...

P.S. Yes, I actually think about stupid crap like that when I'm falling from the sky...then somewhere around 2000ft my brain says..."dude...ripcord..."
 
So did he make a sonci boom!!! That would be one hell of a fart LOL...

What a rush!!!! Just so you know Terminail Velocity was the name of a Paintball Field I built 3 years ago until the owner fcked it all up and the township closed it down..... Really pissed me off.... as I was the one who built it and basically opperated it... He was just taking care of buisness or not taking care of buisness..

So that's what Terminal Velocity is.... LOL.... Splat Splat Splat
 
Man that is so Cool!! A human being travelling at the speed of sound without a vehicle. Amazing :monkey:
 
FreeFaller said:
Yeah...one day while jumping out of a perfectly good airplane I thought... "How the hell am I going faster than 130 ish mph? Isn't that terminal velocity?" So I looked it up and learned...

P.S. Yes, I actually think about stupid crap like that when I'm falling from the sky...then somewhere around 2000ft my brain says..."dude...ripcord..."
Click to expand...


Your a trip man... Thanks for the Physics lesson BTW. I find this stuff intriguing. Got to give is up to your boy Kitt... He is truly an explorer, although I believe this to be most impressive...

Kittinger also volunteered for three combat tours in Vietnam and served as commander of the famous 555th "Triple Nickel" Tactical Fighter Squadron flying F-4s. After shooting down a MiG-21 in aerial combat, he himself was shot down on May 11, 1972 and spent 11 months as a prisoner of war. Kittinger subsequently continued his career and retired as a colonel in 1978.
 
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