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Skydiver Fearless Felix jumps from 18 miles up


Tank

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Maybe a geeky question, but why is it that at the begining you can apparently see the entire curvature of the Earth, but there are no bodies of water present?

I think the curvature you see in the video is greatly exaggerated due to the wide-angle cameras they used, so you're not really seeing like half of the earth as it kind of appears.

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It's sad when you realize an energy drink has a better space program than your nation.

Not targeted towards you, but something that has been bothering me throughout this entire deal...HE DID NOT JUMP FROM SPACE. While what he did was incredibly impressive, he was not even halfway to even the lowest definition of where space begins. That's like saying you're stationed on the East Coast when in fact you're at Tinker.

If he jumped from space, you would have seen him floating in near-weightlessness, then his body would have burned up in the atmosphere.

/Rant off

Maybe a geeky question, but why is it that at the begining you can apparently see the entire curvature of the Earth, but there are no bodies of water present?

There isn't a lot of water near New Mexico.

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Actually, If he were to ascend vertically into space he would still be under the influence of gravity. The zero G effect comes from being in a perpetual state of falling, by you should know that being a space nerd. You're right that he only went about half way to space (last I knew the "official" boundary of space is 50mi altitude, or around 264k feet) but he was above something like 99% of the atmosphere.

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Ahh, someone that knows physics... very interesting.You are right, but at the moment the balloon/craft stopped ascending under power, it would begin falling and experience weightlessness. Any human "jumping" in space would be floating/falling/whatever.

Also, don't confuse weightlessness with zero gravity. There is definitely gravity in space. :nob:

Nerd. :beer:

Edit: Yes, the Air Force awards astronaut wings for reaching 50 miles, or 80 km. Felix was about 41 km short.

Edited by Gravedigger
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Maybe a geeky question, but why is it that at the begining you can apparently see the entire curvature of the Earth, but there are no bodies of water present?

Because he wasn't really jumping from way up high. It was all done in a Hollywood studio so we could beat the Russians....just like the Apollo space program. Notice how there are also no background stars and the wind isn't ruffling his spacesuit. :-) <sarcasm>

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Thanks for the geography lesson. If you are looking at enough of the planet that you can see the entire curvature of the Earth, you are looking at more than New Mexico.

At ~130,000ft or 24.6 miles, he'd be able to see approximately 430 miles. The closest body of water to Roswell is the Sea of Cortez, slightly over 500 miles. So no....no water.

Maths.

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Thanks for the geography lesson. If you are looking at enough of the planet that you can see the entire curvature of the Earth, you are looking at more than New Mexico.

Sorry amigo; I didn't really feel like doing math at the time. Fortunately, contraildash isn't as lazy. :beer:

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