# Parachuting from 23 miles up. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 6, 2012, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872 "2012-10-06T02:35:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/121 "2012-10-14T18:11:42Z")
His chute is open. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/122 "2012-10-14T18:13:15Z")
Yes! ---
**Author:** ![Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b9bd4f/32.png) [@Nunzio\_Tavulari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nunzio_Tavulari)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/123 "2012-10-14T18:13:55Z")
Didn’t break the longest freefall record. Several seconds short. ---
**Author:** ![Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/124 "2012-10-14T18:14:16Z")
I felt it for a second when he jumped from the capsule. Whoa. ---
**Author:** ![Tangent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tangent/32/3098_2.png) [@Tangent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tangent)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/125 "2012-10-14T18:16:22Z")
Touchdown, safe and sound. Two-point landing. ---
**Author:** ![Lantern](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/d26b3c/32.png) [@Lantern](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lantern)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/126 "2012-10-14T18:17:15Z")
He’s landed ! ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/127 "2012-10-14T18:17:35Z")
A perfect stand-up landing. Fucking awesome! ---
**Author:** ![Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/128 "2012-10-14T18:18:25Z")
> [@Bumbershoot](#): > > A perfect stand-up landing. Fucking awesome! Indeed. ---
**Author:** ![Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/le_ministre_de_l_au-dela/32/12181_2.png) [@Le\_Ministre\_de\_l\_au-dela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Le_Ministre_de_l_au-dela)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/129 "2012-10-14T18:18:28Z")
Wow! I tuned in just in time to catch the last 5,000 feet. Incredible!!! ---
**Author:** ![notsoheavyd3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/85e7bf/32.png) [@notsoheavyd3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notsoheavyd3)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/130 "2012-10-14T18:19:26Z")
Missed most of it because it was such a slide show on my PC. Hmm, when I just checked it now 7 million people were watching it? Wow, I wouldn’t have thought that many would have been interested. ---
**Author:** ![Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Curiosity_Kills_Her)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/131 "2012-10-14T18:20:22Z")
What a bummer that he didn’t break the freefall record. ---
**Author:** ![EmilyG](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/emilyg/32/364_2.png) [@EmilyG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EmilyG)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/132 "2012-10-14T18:20:59Z")
Riveting! Thanks to **bouv** for posting the link to the live feed. ---
**Author:** ![partlycloudy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/partlycloudy/32/3114_2.png) [@partlycloudy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/partlycloudy)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/133 "2012-10-14T18:25:48Z")
WOW! That was intense. I got scared when he was up there spinning. What a triumphant feeling for all the people who invested so much time (and money) into this. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/134 "2012-10-14T18:27:17Z")
> [@Curiosity\_Kills\_Her](#): > > What a bummer that he didn’t break the freefall record. I was reading Kittinger’s wiki page and it says he used a drogue parachute during his record - is that true free fall? Felix didn’t have a drogue parachute, so higher speed but less time spent falling. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/135 "2012-10-14T18:27:49Z")
I made a huge mistake, I decided to watch on CNN. They had live coverage of the climb then cut away as soon as he jumped. The anchors talked about how riveted they were and how fast their hearts were beating while showing crappy graphics of the jump. One anchor commented that they cut away from the live feed and would go back when he was safe. Horrible, disgusting coverage. I’ll never watch CNN for breaking coverage again if they feel they need to coddle the audience. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/136 "2012-10-14T18:31:18Z")
If IIRC, the feed was a 20 second delay, with the expectation that if something bad happened it wouldn’t be on air. That they started showing the spin meant that he’s already recovered. Per **Frazzled** CNN probably didn’t have rights to broadcast the jump. ---
**Author:** ![Frazzled](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/frazzled/32/3368_2.png) [@Frazzled](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frazzled)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/137 "2012-10-14T18:34:46Z")
The anchors claimed they cut away for “obvious reasons” and claimed it was to make sure he was safe before showing the jump ---
**Author:** ![Terminus\_Est](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terminus_est/32/3087_2.png) [@Terminus\_Est](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terminus_Est)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/138 "2012-10-14T18:34:53Z")
Broadcast-delay or not, the Discovery coverage was simply excellent - a minimum of talking and actually informative graphics. Truly compelling TV. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbershoot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbershoot/32/3428_2.png) [@Bumbershoot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbershoot)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/139 "2012-10-14T18:44:53Z")
Congratulations to Felix and the whole Red Bull Stratos team. Holy fucking shit, that was intense. ---
**Author:** ![Barking\_Dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ccd318/32.png) [@Barking\_Dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barking_Dog)\ **Post date:** [October 14, 2012, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872/140 "2012-10-14T18:48:05Z")
From LeVar Burton’s twitter apparently, “I love humanity!!! I’m betting on the Human Beings… #livejump” For myself, that was so amazing and I’m so glad to have got to see aeronautics history being made. I’m far too young to have seen Yeager break the sound barrier, or to have watched the moon landing. Or even to see Joe Kittenger make his own historic jumps. So I’m sooo glad to have seen this happen, as it happened. I can’t wait to regale my grandchildren 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/parachuting-from-23-miles-up/636872.md?page=8)