A person freefalling from 120,000 feet would theoretically reach a supersonic speed of over 700mph. Two daredevils of the skies are racing to break the sound barrier – and face unknown hazards in their attempt.
We know this. At around 120,000 feet, on the fringes of space, the air is so thin that a falling human body would travel fast enough to exceed the speed of sound. A skydiver, properly equipped with pressurised suit and a supply of oxygen to protect against the hostile elements, could feasibly jump from that height and, about 30 seconds later, punch through the sound barrier – becoming the first person ever to go "supersonic" without the aid of an aircraft or space shuttle.
Here our knowledge ends. Experts admit cluelessness. Our skydiver could render a mighty "krakoom!" across the high skies or history could be made in utter silence. Immense forces could knock the intrepid skydiver out cold, could peel the skin back from his body or simply cause a little wobble in the midriff, like a playful hug. Nobody is quite sure – but one of two men will soon find out.
They are Felix Baumgartner and Michel Fournier, rival daredevils who have long been formulating plans to travel up to 120,000 feet, far higher than any skydiver has yet been, from there to plunge back to Earth. Their plans share similar elements – helium balloons attached to mansize cradles, space-faring equipment, lots of complicated parachutes – but this pair could not be more different....
Continue Reading: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2010/sep/05/felix-baumgartner-michel-fournier-supersonic
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