Space Diving - This is not a joke, it's just in the fledgling stages.
I know most of you don't read PopSci any more. I must admit it is a little intimidating living in a community where SciAm is the bottom end of the intellectual spectrum -- well, that and the general level of humor.
Ahem, on to space diving. This borrows from NASA's original high altitude testing system: A space diver sits in a hot air balloon, travels miles into and, eventually, beyond the air, to 120,000 ft. (3x the average operating height of transatlantic flight). Then...you jump.
[To be fair, at this altitude the oxygen needed for rational thought is long gone and, besides, when you have to worry about the heat shield on reentry of your person you aren't "jumping" so much as moving toward an abstraction below you commonly referred to as the "Earth"]
But wait thrill seekers. This is a practical invention. I know, I sniggered too; but the inventors are touting this as the solution to shuttle orbit escape problems. And for you space tourists looking to climb aboard the EADS space jet...you too could get a (ugh) crash course in the use of these nifty little suits.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. FAA [ESA for the initiated] regulations prohibit tampering, disabling, or destroying essential life support systems. Please keep your seatbelt on at all times while we still within the grasp of earth's gravity. And, in the event of imminent death, your seat cushion can be used to stifle your sobs and cries for help. Thank you, and have a pleasant launch."
Ahem, on to space diving. This borrows from NASA's original high altitude testing system: A space diver sits in a hot air balloon, travels miles into and, eventually, beyond the air, to 120,000 ft. (3x the average operating height of transatlantic flight). Then...you jump.
[To be fair, at this altitude the oxygen needed for rational thought is long gone and, besides, when you have to worry about the heat shield on reentry of your person you aren't "jumping" so much as moving toward an abstraction below you commonly referred to as the "Earth"]
But wait thrill seekers. This is a practical invention. I know, I sniggered too; but the inventors are touting this as the solution to shuttle orbit escape problems. And for you space tourists looking to climb aboard the EADS space jet...you too could get a (ugh) crash course in the use of these nifty little suits.
"Ladies and Gentlemen. FAA [ESA for the initiated] regulations prohibit tampering, disabling, or destroying essential life support systems. Please keep your seatbelt on at all times while we still within the grasp of earth's gravity. And, in the event of imminent death, your seat cushion can be used to stifle your sobs and cries for help. Thank you, and have a pleasant launch."
1 comment:
Now THAT's a thrill-jump: none of these sissy prop aircraft, nosiree.
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