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-- Watch the First Human Supersonic Space Jump (Updating Live: Launch ABORTED)1:42PM Oh no. The launch has been cancelled!
Aborted
The "live" feed is a joke.
It has only recently been aborted. I was watching as the winds came up and tore the tethers loose from the ground crew.
The chutes are set to deploy automatically and in sequence according to his altitude in case he loses consciousness.What was the failsafe for when he blacks out from the gforce?
What was the failsafe for when he blacks out from the gforce?
What was the failsafe for when he blacks out from the gforce?
The current record holder did pass out on his first high altitude attempt.
And the automatic chute deployment was what saved his life.
Kittinger's first high-altitude jump, from about 76,400 feet (23,300 m) on November 16, 1959, was a near-disaster when an equipment malfunction caused him to lose consciousness.[2] The automatic parachute opener in his equipment saved his life.
On August 16, 1960, he made the final jump, from the Excelsior III, at 102,800 feet (31,300 m).[2] Towing a small drogue parachute for initial stabilization, he fell for four minutes and 36 seconds, reaching a maximum speed of 614 miles per hour (988 km/h)[4][5] before opening his parachute at 18,000 feet (5,500 m). Pressurization for his right glove malfunctioned during the ascent, and his right hand swelled up to twice its normal size.[6][7] He set historical numbers for highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest drogue-fall (four minutes), and fastest speed by a human being through the atmosphere.[8] These are still current USAF records, but were not submitted for aerospace world records to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).