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Skydiver plans head-first freefall from the edge of space in dizzying bid to break Mach 1
But he must wear a special suit to ensure his body fluids don't boil

By IAN SPARKS
Last updated at 18:27pm on 13th August 2007


He will leap head-first from a weather balloon 25 miles above Earth and plummet at more than 1,000mph with only a parachute for company.

He will face external temperatures of minus 100c while inside his carbon-fibre suit it will be a stifling 65c - almost 150 fahrenheit.

And most amazing of all, Michel Fournier is actually looking forward to it.

The daredevil Frenchman, a greyhaired 63-year-old former paratrooper, aims to become the first person to break the sound barrier in free-fall.

As he plunges through the stratosphere at supersonic speed, he also hopes to break three more world records - for the longest sky dive, the highest parachute jump and the highest altitude achieved by a human in a balloon.

Despite the intense cold outside, his £35,000 suit will heat up inside when it meets air resistance. His crash helmet will have its own air supply and reinforced ear pads to protect him from the sonic boom as he breaks through the Mach 1 sound barrier.

Fournier was one of three candidates selected in the 1980s to take part in a

military endurance test to see whether a parachutist could descend from 125,000ft - almost 24 miles.

The project was shelved in 1988 - but he decided to go it alone. He hopes to make the jump over the Great Plains of Saskatchewan in Canada some time next month, weather permitting.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't afraid, but I am also very excited," he said."It really is a leap into the unknown."

After leaping from the balloon, Fournier believes he will break the 760mph sound barrier within 37 seconds.

The lack of friction due to the thinness of the air will mean he can attain a much higher terminal velocity, and his team of scientists estimate he will reach the top speed of 1,113mph before he is slowed down by greater air resistance.

His parachute will not open until six minutes, 25 seconds after jumping and he will finally reach the Earth after around eight and a half minutes.

The record for highest leap was set in 1960 by a U.S. Air Force test pilot, at just under 20 miles.

Wow, that would be sweet.

Not quite orbital skydiving

You are a Trekkie nerd ain't ya!

Quoted: Not quite orbital skydiving You are a Trekkie nerd ain't ya!

Guilty.  

You'll like this then...

This scene was in Startrek Generations. This is Kirk after an orbital skydive.

So what is the terminal velocity of a man falling from the upper regions of the atmosphere? 1,000MPH is ridiculous. Sign me up!

Quoted: So what is the terminal velocity of a man falling from the upper regions of the atmosphere? 1,000MPH is ridiculous. Sign me up!

I think you basically top out at a certain speed because you can only go as fast a gravity can pull you. Depending on how high up you are you may just burn up on re-entry like a meteor.

bah..

watch vid1 or a cooler one
vid 2

Joseph Kittinger

That is one Frenchman with balls.  But of course he is a paratrooper.

Parachutes......Pfffft.

Wanker.

Protect his ears from the sonic boom?  Wouldn't that be trailing behind him?

I am pretty sure that the US test pilot who did the current highest free fall broke the sound barrier.

I remember watching it on the history channel.

ETA:  I think it was back in the 60s

Quoted: You'll like this then... This scene was in Startrek Generations. This is Kirk after an orbital skydive. i112.photobucket.com/albums/n161/killswitch82/skydiving-generations.jpg

I dont remember that scene... huh... I guess I'm gonna go watch the dvd now.

Quoted: I think you basically top out at a certain speed because you can only go as fast a gravity can pull you. Depending on how high up you are you may just burn up on re-entry like a meteor.

Not quite - gravity accelerates you and is always doing so.

On the other hand, air resistance slows you down and the two balance out at terminal velocity.

Since air is thinner higher up, terminal velocity actually reduces as you get lower. After jumping he's going to accelerate until he reaches max speed then will be gradually slowed by the increasingly dense air.

Quoted: Quoted: You'll like this then... This scene was in Startrek Generations. This is Kirk after an orbital skydive. i112.photobucket.com/albums/n161/killswitch82/skydiving-generations.jpg I dont remember that scene... huh... I guess I'm gonna go watch the dvd now.

it was cut from the movie

Quoted: Quoted: You'll like this then... This scene was in Startrek Generations. This is Kirk after an orbital skydive. i112.photobucket.com/albums/n161/killswitch82/skydiving-generations.jpg I dont remember that scene... huh... I guess I'm gonna go watch the dvd now.

Oops, I meant SUPPOSED to be. They used it in Voyager later.