by Sam Ruocco
This picture, taken August 16th 1960, is of Air Force Capt. Joseph Kittinger jumping from a record 20 miles above the Earths surface. This was taken as part of Project Excelsior, an experiment consisting of a series of high altitude jumps to test a multi-stage parachute system. The work done by Joseph Kittinger gained him world records, new findings, and an extraordinary experience providing valuable findings through his work.
Joseph Kittinger was born July 27, 1928 in Tampa, Florida. He attended the Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida and went on to study at the University of Florida. In March of 1950, he joined the United States Air Force and assigned to the 86th Fighter-Bomber Wing based in West Germany. He transferred to Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico where he flew the observation plane during John Stapp’s rocket sled run of 632 mph in 1955. Stapp, being impressed with Kittinger, would later recommend Kittinger to join him on future projects
One project being Project Excelsior, this project was devised to study the effects on the human body during a high altitude ejection from an airplane. A series of high altitude jumps were used to study these findings. Planes were in development that could reach new highs, information to how the body would react to such a high altitude ejection in such extreme conditions was vital.
For the project, a large helium balloon was constructed to lift Kittinger high into the atmosphere, as well as a large stabilizing parachute to prevent any uncontrolled spinning during the descent. The balloon could hold nearly 3 million cubic feet of helium allowing it to lift an open gondola which Kittinger was stationed in high into the layers of the atmosphere. He wore a protective pressurized suite to protect him from the harsh environment.To fully grasp where Kittinger was exactly heading, the diagram to the left show the layers of the atmosphere on Earth. There are five major spheres displayed here. The bottom layer, the troposphere, is where we live and out weather occurs, airplanes fly in this layer.
The troposphere spans from Earths surface to about sixty thousand feet . Above that is the stratosphere, at this level only weather balloons occupy this area, it ranges from sixty thousand feet to about one hundred and sixty thousand feet. It was from this level Kittinger planned to jump.
The graph to the right shows the correlation between height in miles and the temperature. From where Kittinger made his final jump the temperature was negative 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
The first jump made by Kittinger was on November 16th, 1959. The height of the jump was seventy six thousand four hundred feet. However, the jump was almost fatal for Kittinger, seconds into the jump an equipment malfunction strangled Kittinger causing him to lose consciousness, his automatic parachute deployed saving him. The second jump was made December 11th, 1959 from a height of seventy four thousand seven hundred feet. The third and final, record setting jump was made on August 16, 1960 from a height of one hundred and two thousand eight hundred feet or 20 miles. At this height, gravity has almost no effect; it is similar to being in a vacuum. As Kittinger remarked later, “there was no wind, no sound at all”.
The record jump was from one hundred and two thousand eight hundred feet, by comparison that’s three times the average cruising altitude for a commercial jet liner. The height is also equivalent to three and a half Mt. Everest’s, the highest point in the world.
A landmark that I think we can all relate too, the Empire State building, it would take the height of about eighty two Empire State buildings stacked one atop each other to equal the height of the jump. The average skydiver jumps in rangers from about three thousand five hundred feet to seven thousand feet.
During the record jump Kittinger reached a maximum speed of 614 miles per hour, surpassing the speed of sound. He experiences temperatures of negative 94 degrees Fahrenheit. Kittinger set records for the highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump, longest free-fall, and fastest speed by a human through the atmosphere. Final calculations by project leaders clocked Kittinger in free fall for four minutes and thirty six seconds, and total jump time of thirteen minutes and forty five seconds before he touched down in the New Mexico desert safely.
For all these achievements, Kittinger was awarded the Harmon Trophy from President Eisenhower. The project was successful in providing the new parachute system that would be used to solve the problem of a high altitude escape.
Regarding his jump Kittinger noted how he had no feeling of whether he was falling. He was quoted saying, “And I said, 'My goodness, I can't believe how fast that balloon was going,' and I realized that the balloon was standing still and it was me that was going down at a fantastic rate. Then at about 14,000 feet my parachute opened."
(this is a music video that includes the footage from Kittingers record setting jump)
The work done by Kittinger gained him world records, new findings, and an extraordinary experience. It is men like Kittinger that should not be forgotten in time even now as we travel higher and higher, further and further into the vastness of space. It is the accomplishments made here at home that are the most extraordinary
sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Earth%27s_atmosphere
http://www.lexisnexis.com/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?risb=21_T3536213957&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T3536213960&cisb=22_T3536213959&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=138794&docNo=1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Kittinger
http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/E/Excelsior_Project.html
http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/7b.html
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=562
No comments:
Post a Comment