0
sartre

Hey quick question about Felix' jump

Recommended Posts

I am sitting with a whuffo and he has some very good questions about Felix' jump. The answers may already be posted, but we are not finding them with a search. How high was he when he deployed? And how fast was he going at the time?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8900 feet according to the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull_Stratos

I don't see where it says how fast he was going, but it says he could have safely gone another 20 seconds before deploying. Based on that, I'd guess he was at pretty close to a "normal" terminal velocity, around 120 mph.
I'm trying to teach myself how to set things on fire with my mind. Hey... is it hot in here?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Note that varying "how high" answers may be a result of Above Ground Level vs. Above Sea Level measurements. In another thread someone said the altitude readouts on the "live" video were ASL.



So 2500' AGL?

Makes sence, longest possible yet safe freefall.










~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I am sitting with a whuffo and he has some very good questions about Felix' jump. The answers may already be posted, but we are not finding them with a search. How high was he when he deployed? And how fast was he going at the time?



... and that was 2 questions. :)
Peace,
-Dawson.
http://www.SansSuit.com
The Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

I am sitting with a whuffo and he has some very good questions about Felix' jump. The answers may already be posted, but we are not finding them with a search. How high was he when he deployed? And how fast was he going at the time?



... and that was 2 questions. :)


FIFY
lisa
WSCR 594
FB 1023
CBDB 9

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

8900 feet according to the Wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Bull_Stratos

I don't see where it says how fast he was going, but it says he could have safely gone another 20 seconds before deploying. Based on that, I'd guess he was at pretty close to a "normal" terminal velocity, around 120 mph.



Another 20 seconds would have seen him open at 1000ft AGL, if he dumped at 5500....
My computer beat me at chess, It was no match for me at kickboxing....

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

I just want to know how he spotted the dropzone?



If I understand your question.....
He was spotting the Landing Zone from under canopy. Not the Drop Zone from the Balloon.
Stratos Crew calculated the LZ and send crews out there (during the ascent) who deployed smoke for him to land by.
take care,
space

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

He pulled the handle at 5300 feet above ground level. You can also see in the videos that his altitrack reads 4000 feet when the canopy inflates.


I don't think I would have taken it down lower. Kelly Farrington told me one of the big challenges was figuring out handle placement/feel/function to be used by a jumper wearing a clumsy pressure suit, fat gloves and vision restricting helmet. The rig was well designed but much more complex than a regular sport rig. The complications of the pressure suit certainly called for a higher opening altitude.

Also, I wonder how much the field elevation changed under Felix as he drifted some 45 miles from the take off point. Did they give him topographical data prior to his jump? Or did they say "Okay, the LZ is a little lower than the take off point. We'll just let him pull high."

A lot of time and effort went into this jump. There is no real comparison between Felix's real free fall and Joe's drogue fall. It would have been stupid to smoke it down to break a non-existent record. :)

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
In the post-jump interview they announced a deployment altitude of about 5200 feet which was according to plan. That must be AGL because Roswell International Air Center (KROW) is at about 3670ft MSL. Not sure about the landing zone but having spent some time out there, it sure looked flat for hundreds of miles in every direction.
"Are you coming to the party?
Oh I'm coming, but I won't be there!"
Flying Hellfish #828
Dudist #52

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So what do you think the plan would have been if he had caught his drogue on the balloon and had an early out? :o

"There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."
Life, the Universe, and Everything

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

So what do you think the plan would have been if he had caught his drogue on the balloon and had an early out? :o

The drogue wouldn't have been too bad, but an early deployment on the main or reserve would have been. The EP for that is to cutaway whichever canopy is open, since the suit doesn't have enough O2 for a 1-2 hour canopy ride. Both the main and reserve may be cut away on Felix's rig.

And once you cutaway either, it disables the cutaway mechanism on the other one so there is no way you could accidentally chop both. Pretty cool setup. Kelly Farrington told me how it all worked.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Quote

Quote

So what do you think the plan would have been if he had caught his drogue on the balloon and had an early out? :o

The drogue wouldn't have been too bad, but an early deployment on the main or reserve would have been. The EP for that is to cutaway whichever canopy is open, since the suit doesn't have enough O2 for a 1-2 hour canopy ride. Both the main and reserve may be cut away on Felix's rig.

And once you cutaway either, it disables the cutaway mechanism on the other one so there is no way you could accidentally chop both. Pretty cool setup. Kelly Farrington told me how it all worked.

Nice :)
You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Kelly said that both cut away cables are rigged with stops on them so neither handle can be pulled. Then, when you open either canopy, a pyro cutter cuts the stops off the cutaway cables for which ever parachute was opened and also disables the pyro cutters on the remaining closed parachute. Slick, huh? B|

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Well, we knew that this jump was going to incorporate a bunch of new stuff, after all, NASA's systems are only certified to 100,000 feet...B|

At the end of this month there is supposed to be a 2 hour documentary on making the jump on the discovery channel. Hopefully they show off all the cool new tech...:)

"There is an art, it says, or, rather, a knack to flying. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss."
Life, the Universe, and Everything

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Out of pure curiosity, and maybe Kelly can answer this, was there a particular reason that Velocity was chosen over other manufacturers to do the rigging? Was there a bid or some kind of personal relationship? Not dogging anyone because I love Inifinity rigs and Felix's rig was awesome to say the least, just curious.
"Are you coming to the party?
Oh I'm coming, but I won't be there!"
Flying Hellfish #828
Dudist #52

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Hi 83,

Interestingly, I was just on the phone with Kelly discussing some other stuff.

He told me that they actually built two complete rigs. One for backup I would guess.

Now for rumor control ( or all out BS as it also known ): Quite some time ago I 'heard' that another parachute mfr wanted ~$50K to build each of the two rigs. I 'heard' that Kelly's pricing was less.

When you go on a world record skydive & plan/hope to break the speed of sound, you go with the rig that is the cheapest.

:S

Just havin' fun, Kelly. :P

JerryBaumchen

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

0