PurpleZ
New member
This is about the most extreme sport anyone's ever dreamed up: space diving. A group of space scientists who aren't actually insane aim to give it a try by 2009, jumping from 120,000 feet in a specially designed space suit that looks like a buggy-rollin' getup, but without those silly roller skates. The daredevils hope to develop the technique not only as a sport, but also as a possible escape route for astronauts in low Earth orbit.
After they've mastered the 120,000-foot jump, their ultimate goal is to engineer survivable jumps from 150 miles or even higher above the earth. In a controlled dive, the jumpers would reach blistering speeds of more than 2500 mph, and as they begin to enter the earth's outer atmosphere, a special drogue shoot opens, stabilizing their descent and preventing uncontrolled tumbling which could be fatal.
As soon as they enter the Earth's dense atmosphere, their freefall slows to escape velocity, a mere 120 mph. At 3000 feet, a conventional chute opens, lowering the intrepid adventurer to terra firma. That's going to be one brave soul who first attempts this apparently maniacal act. But with the right technology, it might just work. Sign us up.
The New version of Project Excelsior
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Excelsior
