# What are some human endurance feats not get accomplished **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 25, 2017, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183 "2017-04-25T03:13:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/41 "2017-04-26T20:12:12Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > No subways. Submarine, I was thinking. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/42 "2017-04-26T20:39:38Z")
> [@DrCube](#): > > I’m not sure how you could actually jump from orbit. You’d miss the ground! At 100 miles up, there’s just enough atmosphere that your orbit would eventually decay. Of course, you’d burn up before you got anywhere near the ground. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/43 "2017-04-26T21:24:53Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > The orbital speed at 100 miles is about 7.8 km/s, or 17,500 mph. Hitting the atmosphere at that speed and surviving is not possible. Could you not use a parachute or shuttlecock device (like Spaceship One) to slow you down sufficiently before you hit dense atmosphere? ---
**Author:** ![Marlonius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@Marlonius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marlonius)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/44 "2017-04-26T21:41:23Z")
> [@bucketybuck](#): > > If I ran 5k, then took an hours rest, and did that 9 times have I ran a marathon? Or have I just covered 45k? The standard cut-off is 6 hours with some races extended to 8, so I don’t think you’d make it. If you shortened that rest interval and didn’t leave the course during it, you could squeak in before the deadline and call yourself a marathon finisher. Point is, there are other rules and conditions besides “run 42.2 km”. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/45 "2017-04-26T21:49:12Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Could you not use a parachute or shuttlecock device (like Spaceship One) to slow you down sufficiently before you hit dense atmosphere? No, it would be vaporized. Look at the What-If article **Riemann** linked to above, or watch this 1-minute [NASA video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nh9GunlNq3Y) on reentry, for a better picture of what orbital speed means. SpaceshipOne does not approach orbital speed. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/46 "2017-04-26T22:46:39Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > The orbital speed at 100 miles is about 7.8 km/s, or 17,500 mph. Hitting the atmosphere at that speed and surviving is not possible. Maybe some sort of device that slowly lifts you up to 100 miles of altitude (like a balloon, except that a balloon couldn’t do it, but something that slowly pushes you upwards, maybe by lots of tiny, gentle rocket pulses,) and then from 100 miles you’d jump. That way you wouldn’t have to be at orbital speed to be in orbit in the first place. And you’d basically only get to Mach 1 or so on the way down. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/47 "2017-04-26T23:11:38Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Maybe some sort of device that slowly lifts you up to 100 miles of altitude (like a balloon, except that a balloon couldn’t do it, but something that slowly pushes you upwards, maybe by lots of tiny, gentle rocket pulses,) and then from 100 miles you’d jump. That way you wouldn’t have to be at orbital speed to be in orbit in the first place. And you’d basically only get to Mach 1 or so on the way down. Reaching space without reaching orbital speeds ([sub-orbital space flight](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sub-orbital_spaceflight)) is exactly what SpaceShipOne did, and what the Virgin program is planning to do. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/48 "2017-04-26T23:15:54Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > No, it would be vaporized. Why? The atmosphere is very thin at high altitudes and you’re not aiming for a fast descent. Sure you’ve got a lot of energy in your velocity but you just need something to gradually slow you down that can dissipate that energy. Perhaps a series of parachutes - at very high altitudes a very large semi-rigid parachute - or parafoils or other devices? ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/49 "2017-04-26T23:23:17Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Why? The atmosphere is very thin at high altitudes and you’re not aiming for a fast descent. Sure you’ve got a lot of energy in your velocity but you just need something to gradually slow you down that can dissipate that energy. Perhaps a series of parachutes - at very high altitudes a very large semi-rigid parachute - or parafoils or other devices? Again, watch the NASA video or [read this](https://www.grc.nasa.gov/www/BGH/hihyper.html). The speed you are talking about is nowhere near the realm of what works with a parachute. > [@](#): > > The chief characteristic of re-entry aerodynamics is that the temperature of the flow is so great that the chemical bonds of the diatomic molecules of the air are broken. The molecules break apart producing an electrically charged plasma around the aircraft. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2017, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/50 "2017-04-26T23:30:54Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > Why? The atmosphere is very thin at high altitudes and you’re not aiming for a fast descent. Sure you’ve got a lot of energy in your velocity but you just need something to gradually slow you down that can dissipate that energy. Perhaps a series of parachutes - at very high altitudes a very large semi-rigid parachute - or parafoils or other devices? No, it won’t work. 8km/s is just too fast. You’re not solving any problem by have a _large_ parachute. The problem is that as soon as you hit the thinnest upper layers of the atmosphere you will fry, and any parachute-like drag device will shred. That’s why the dissipation of energy for re-entry from orbital speeds is handled by thick heat shields that end up looking like this: [![Imgur](https://live.staticflickr.com/5564/14534813388_698c98252b_b.jpg "Apollo 12 Command Module Heat Shield") ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/52009571@N08/14534813388) > **[Heat shield](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_shield#/media/File:Apollo_12_heat_shield.JPG)** > > In engineering, a heat shield is a component designed to protect an object or a human operator from being burnt or overheated by dissipating, reflecting, and/or absorbing heat. The term is most often used in reference to exhaust heat management and to systems for dissipating frictional heat. Heat shields are used most commonly in automotive and aerospace. > Heat shields protect structures from extreme temperatures and thermal gradients by two primary mechanisms. Thermal insulation and radiative co... ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/51 "2017-04-27T01:12:20Z")
> [@Gatopescado](#): > > Has anybody managed to sit through the director’s cut of _Apocalypse Now_ without touching the remote or leaving the room? Yes, but a nap was involved. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/52 "2017-04-27T01:15:18Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > No, but I once made it all the way to the tiger scene without the use of any type of physical restraint. [Never get out of the boat](https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_4dFDBYWuTc) ---
**Author:** ![Mangosteen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mangosteen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangosteen)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/53 "2017-04-27T02:28:27Z")
> [@TroutMan](#): > > I’d nominate the sub-2:00 marathon as maybe possible. [There will be another attempt](http://www.runnersworld.com/2-hour-marathon/nikes-sub-2-hour-marathon-attempt-will-be-run-in-early-may) at it this May. > > There are some physiological reasons to argue it won’t ever happen, but’s it tough to say never. I think it will be a while, and will probably involve technology improvements (shoes, running surface, doping) if it does. Marathon courses are not standardized even year to year at the same locations. This year let’s say the Boston Marathon is 20% up hill, 30% down hill and the rest of the race is somewhat level, but New York’s is 30% up hill, 25% down hill and the rest of the course is somewhat level. Can someone really say that these two 26.2 mile races should be considered the same and one’s time in Boston can be compared to one’s time in NY? You want a sub 2 hour marathon? Start at Whitney Portal elevation 8360 feet (2548 m) and have all the competitors run 26.2 miles toward Death Valley. Its downhill all the way. (Whitney Portal is the _finish_ line for the Badwater Ultramarathon race.) I can almost guarantee a few runners would clock in under 2 hours. A 100 meter or 10,000 meter race is virtually the same any where in the world. Marathons, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/54 "2017-04-27T09:38:47Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > No, it won’t work. 8km/s is just too fast. You’re not solving any problem by have a _large_ parachute. The problem is that as soon as you hit the thinnest upper layers of the atmosphere you will fry, and any parachute-like drag device will shred. That’s why the dissipation of energy for re-entry from orbital speeds is handled by thick heat shields that end up looking like this: > [Apollo 12 Command Module Heat Shield | The Apollo 12 Command… | Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/52009571@N08/14534813388) > [Heat shield - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_shield#/media/File:Apollo_12_heat_shield.JPG) I’m sorry, but I’m still not getting it. Yes, I can see that rapid deceleration is going to require a heat shield but I’m thinking about a slow deceleration, spiralling in over multiple orbits. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/55 "2017-04-27T13:50:38Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > I’m sorry, but I’m still not getting it. Yes, I can see that rapid deceleration is going to require a heat shield but I’m thinking about a slow deceleration, spiralling in over multiple orbits. How do you imagine that you are controlling this slow deceleration/descent? You are orbiting at 17,000 mph in space. To initiate your descent, you must decelerate a few hundred mph in space, requiring thrust. Then gravity starts pulling you down. Then you hit the upper layers of the atmosphere at 16,700 mph. Then you’re dead. The only way to slow more without hitting the atmosphere is to have a huge amount of thrust available to decelerate you in space, and to add upward thrust to stop you falling. This requires a huge amount of rocket fuel. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/56 "2017-04-27T14:15:28Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > …I’m thinking about a slow deceleration… It’s not the rate of deceleration that’s a problem, it’s the speed with which you hit the air molecules. That speed will kill you unless you have a heat shield like the shuttle, or you slow yourself down _before_ you hit the atmosphere. ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/57 "2017-04-27T16:23:37Z")
> [@Mangosteen](#): > > Marathon courses are not standardized even year to year at the same locations. This year let’s say the Boston Marathon is 20% up hill, 30% down hill and the rest of the race is somewhat level, but New York’s is 30% up hill, 25% down hill and the rest of the course is somewhat level. Can someone really say that these two 26.2 mile races should be considered the same and one’s time in Boston can be compared to one’s time in NY? > > You want a sub 2 hour marathon? Start at Whitney Portal elevation 8360 feet (2548 m) and have all the competitors run 26.2 miles toward Death Valley. Its downhill all the way. (Whitney Portal is the _finish_ line for the Badwater Ultramarathon race.) I can almost guarantee a few runners would clock in under 2 hours. > > A 100 meter or 10,000 meter race is virtually the same any where in the world. Marathons, not so much. Wouldn’t work, at least not to be considered an IAAF world record. Their standards for a marathon record say that the start and finish can’t be more than a certain distance apart (so that runners can’t be helped by a tailwind) and that the course can’t have too much elevation change. Strangely, the Boston Marathon, probably the most well-known in the world, doesn’t meet those standards. The world record can’t be set there. There may be other regs that I don’t know about, too; my info comes from [this article](https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2017/04/14/why-a-world-record-set-in-the-boston-marathon-wouldnt-officially-count) which is specifically about Boston. The sub 2 hour effort that TroutMan linked to is happening at the Monza race track in Italy, so at least the point-to-point and elevation standards should be okay. ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/58 "2017-04-27T16:51:34Z")
> [@Robot\_Arm](#): > > Wouldn’t work, at least not to be considered an IAAF world record. Their standards for a marathon record say that the start and finish can’t be more than a certain distance apart (so that runners can’t be helped by a tailwind) and that the course can’t have too much elevation change. Strangely, the Boston Marathon, probably the most well-known in the world, doesn’t meet those standards. The world record can’t be set there. > > There may be other regs that I don’t know about, too; my info comes from [this article](https://www.boston.com/sports/boston-marathon/2017/04/14/why-a-world-record-set-in-the-boston-marathon-wouldnt-officially-count) which is specifically about Boston. The sub 2 hour effort that TroutMan linked to is happening at the Monza race track in Italy, so at least the point-to-point and elevation standards should be okay. Those are the two [main rules](http://www.aims-worldrunning.org/IAAF_rule_260.28.htm) related to the course. The other rules are about measuring and certifying the course, and the eligibility of the runners. I’m not sure if Nike has released details on the logistics of their attempt, but it sounds like it wouldn’t be ratified as a world record. [From here](http://www.runnersworld.com/2-hour-marathon/a-primer-on-the-sub-2-hour-marathon): > [@](#): > > If the runners were to be led the whole way by an ever-changing roster of pacers, or if they drafted off a phalanx of vehicles for 26.2 miles, or if they could receive fluids and other aids on demand, such features would violate current rules of competition. During the March 7 test half marathon, there was a rotating cast of pacers, and the runners were handed fluids every lap from someone on a moped, so that the runners could maintain their pace. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2017, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/59 "2017-04-27T19:14:21Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > Then you hit the upper layers of the atmosphere at 16,700 mph. Then you’re dead. How about optimizing how far you can stay alive before dying…would you burn and ablate faster if you cannon-balled in, or if you belly-flopped? ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [April 28, 2017, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183/60 "2017-04-28T00:11:16Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > How about optimizing how far you can stay alive before dying…would you burn and ablate faster if you cannon-balled in, or if you belly-flopped? Survival would be longest if you present the lowest cross-sectional area in the direction of travel, so probably diving Superman-style. But that would probably make a difference of milliseconds. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-are-some-human-endurance-feats-not-get-accomplished/785183.md?page=4)