Posted on 10/09/2012 5:03:41 AM PDT by wita
http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/
CNN just had a blurb about the flight. It’s still on the ground.
figure its a 3 hour ascent, still a while to wait for the jump.
CNN says 20 mins to launch.
Still filling the balloon.
Ground winds appear to be picking up.
Jow Kittinger shaking his head and he doesn’t look too happy.
Too much winds?
and even Joe...not Jow
Canceled today due to gusty winds.
ABORT for today due to sudden gusty ground-level winds.
Weather iffy for tomorrow.
The flight is aborted for today due to winds. Possibly communication problems as well.
They are pulling Felix out of the capsule.
True. Guess just wait some more...sigh.
Can somebody ping me when it launches for real? I’ve been back here a dozen times today. Thanks in advance.
Maybe a Thursday launch now
Next few days look dicey as well. Fiddlesticks.
Just dayum!
Its aborted for today
Looks like we are scrubbed for today!
What I just heard on FNC was that a balloon he uses to land can’t take winds more than 2 MPH! What? he relies on a flimsy balloon?
Yes, their audio was terrible. Who is the sponsor for comms??? Motorola?? Get it fixed before launch, please. Megyn just whizzed me off...Called this jump a stunt.
Bet it don’t go for a few days now...maybe longer...a shame. you could see the disappointment in his face.
From everything I know Red, it is the balloon itself that is very thin. The analogy is thinner than a plastic sandwich bag. That doesn’t mean it is weak, but there is so much of it that wind is an issue. The pilot lands with a chute.
Back in the day when the National Geographic balloon was attempting to get off the ground in the 30’s IIRC they were launching from a deep canyon protected from the wind. By the time they hit level ground they would have built up a head of steam so to speak.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratobowl
That’s who guy with the headset is?
OMG, that went right over my head at first.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kittinger
The high altitude balloons used are very thin poly plastic of some type. Like a huge bag made from painter’s dropcloth material. The balloon is constructed that way for light weight and expansive ability.
They tried to launch in the early morning when ground wind is lightest but got delayed for some reason. When the thermals started building in late morning, they caused too much wind to allow safe inflation to continue.
Same rules as in the 50’s when Kittinger was making his flights at White Sands Missile Range or the Navy flights in Michigan.
Yep, he’s the technical expert and in mission control.
Can’t get any better than that!
Of possible interest to the ping list.
http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/
Mission to the edge of space: Live
Launch date: 10/14/2012
Broadcast start time: 9:45 AM (MDT)
Red Bull Stratos, a mission to the edge of space, will attempt to transcend human limits that have existed for 50 years. Supported by a team of experts Felix Baumgartner plans to ascend to 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and make a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. His attempt to dare atmospheric limits holds the potential to provide valuable medical and scientific research data for future pioneers.
The Red Bull Stratos team brings together the world’s leading minds in aerospace medicine, engineering, pressure suit development, capsule creation and balloon fabrication. It includes retired United States Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger, who holds three of the records Felix will strive to break.
Joe’s record jump from 102,800 ft in 1960 was during a time when no one knew if a human could survive a jump from the edge of space. Joe was a Captain in the U.S. Air Force and had already taken a balloon to 97,000 feet in Project ManHigh and survived a drogue mishap during a jump from 76,400 feet in Excelsior I. The Excelsior III mission was his 33rd parachute jump.
Although researching extremes was part of the program’s goals, setting records wasn’t the mission’s purpose. Joe ascended in helium balloon launched from the back of a truck. He wore a pressurized suit on the way up in an open, unpressurized gondola. Scientific data captured from Joe’s jump was shared with U.S. research personnel for development of the space program. Today Felix and his specialized team hope to take what was learned from Joe’s jumps more than 50 years ago and press forward to test the edge of the human envelope.
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