# Onto what can you fall from 15K feet without a parachute and survive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2009, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onto-what-can-you-fall-from-15k-feet-without-a-parachute-and-survive/495852 "2009-05-09T15:27:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 11:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onto-what-can-you-fall-from-15k-feet-without-a-parachute-and-survive/495852/81 "2009-05-29T11:49:03Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > Mythbusters did the surface tension myth. They dropped buster from a crane with a big weight hanging from him, so that the weight would hit the water first and break the surface. It made no difference. Yes, but that experiment only broke the surface tension in the slightest possible sense; an area the size of a hammer, for a fraction of a second. I’m talking about a _massive_ aeration system, over a much larger area and producing a sustained source of aeration. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 11:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onto-what-can-you-fall-from-15k-feet-without-a-parachute-and-survive/495852/82 "2009-05-29T11:50:56Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > [http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7501919888/m/3681908869?r=6371948869#6371948869](http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/7501919888/m/3681908869?r=6371948869#6371948869) > > Someone posted something similar a few months ago. I can post a new question that’s more specific to this, if you wish. Yes, please do, I appreciate it! It seems that _Mythbusters_ actually pays attention to fan suggestions; maybe this one will get some attention. ---
**Author:** ![Alex\_Dubinsky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dbc845/32.png) [@Alex\_Dubinsky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alex_Dubinsky)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onto-what-can-you-fall-from-15k-feet-without-a-parachute-and-survive/495852/83 "2009-05-29T17:30:51Z")
I’m guessing the bubbles would also compress under impact, further helping with the water-moving problem. But I think if you were trying to live from 15k feet, it wouldn’t be enough. ---
**Author:** ![Nerdy\_Engineer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5e9695/32.png) [@Nerdy\_Engineer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nerdy_Engineer)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onto-what-can-you-fall-from-15k-feet-without-a-parachute-and-survive/495852/84 "2009-05-29T18:29:14Z")
> [@Joe Frickin Friday](#): > > Surface tension effects are neglible when compared with density effects; for most common liquids, the units are _milli_newtons per meter. Not only that, but surface tension effects are not velocity-dependent (at least not at the velocities we’re talking about here); it doesn’t matter how fast or slow you’re going when you break/stretch the surface of the water. > > Crack open your nearest fluid mechanics text book and look up the formulas for bluff-body drag. Or check [Wikipedia.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drag_equation) Note that the equation includes density, but does not include viscosity. Viscosity does have an effect, but like surface tension, it’s usually negligible compared with density effects when we’re talking about drag on bluff bodies. The exception is extremely large, extremely streamlined bodies, which will have unusually small density effects (due to their streamlining) and unusually large viscosity effects/skin friction (due to their large total surface area). The classic examples would be blimps and nuclear (i.e. large) submarines. > > As with anything, extreme cases may be found for which the above assertions do not hold. Case in point, pitch would probably exhibit non-negligible viscosity effects if used in the OP’s proposed scenario. I’m not ashamed to admit that I was wrong about surface tension. And it does seem like density may have more influence than I gave it credit for (although it seems that density and viscosity have got to be related on a molecular level). While my reasoning may not have been perfect (what can I say … I’m a solid mechanics guy), my main point, that you would be unlikely to survive a 15,000 ft free-fall into a body of water, still holds up. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onto-what-can-you-fall-from-15k-feet-without-a-parachute-and-survive/495852/85 "2009-05-30T06:01:53Z")
> [@HeyHomie](#): > > Yes, please do, I appreciate it! It seems that _Mythbusters_ actually pays attention to fan suggestions; maybe this one will get some attention. [http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=6941912904&f=7501919888&m=88519965101&r=88519965101#88519965101](http://community.discovery.com/eve/forums?a=tpc&s=6941912904&f=7501919888&m=88519965101&r=88519965101#88519965101) ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [May 30, 2009, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/onto-what-can-you-fall-from-15k-feet-without-a-parachute-and-survive/495852/86 "2009-05-30T07:50:15Z")
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