So, You think YOU'RE an adrenaline junkie?

[Dangerous Doug]

In 1960, Col. Joe Kittinger rode a helium balloon up to 102k feet to the very edge of space, and then jumped from the open gondola, skydiving back to earth. My five year-old son loves watching the video of this, which is on one of his Planets videos. He loves to pretend he's the guy jumping from the balloon by jumping from the playground equipment onto the sand when I take him to play at the park.

Here's the Youtube equivalent of Col. Kittinger's jump:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xh9sX...eature=related

How fun would THAT be?

DD

[Excaliber]

Well, I don't know how fun that would be, Flip (HI Cobra) might though! He's quite a jumper himself.

Adrenalin? I might be passed that on my dirt bikes. I recall a couple of years ago 'racing' my son up a very technical rock and giant boulder hill, an old road long abandoned. Very tough climb, reaching the top (after several attempts and failure) I couldn't believe how GOOD it felt. Whew the adrenalin was pumping, I felt like I was a lion, a bear, on top of the world after conquering my prey. But alas, the next day I was hurting from all the spills I had taken BEFORE I made it. My boy as well, but he shrugged it off. Me? I was sore for two days. Pretty well hung my Moto X boots after that run, I just can't do it anymore. But I remember the thrill of the boy, myself and the mountain on one glorius summer day.

[427 S/O]

DD, I've seen that a few times and enjoy every one, I've often wondered why someone hasn't attempted to go even higher. With an HD camera it would be awesome.....

[bomelia]

THere is some guy developing an escape suit for the space shuttle (and Station). It looks like a rigid wing suit. The idea is to come back to Earth in an emergency by gliding and finally using a chute. Yes, they have to slow WAY down. THey eventually want to make a sport out of it. Seriously!

Mike

[HI Cobra]

Cheryl Stearns and some foreign guy are each trying to set up an attempt
to break the record. Funding and weather are the two major obstacles.
A very long wait for the ride up and no one to share the ride down with
would take some of the fun away but between the view at altitude and
setting that kind of a record would have to be something awesome.
24,000' is about as high as I have been and that is high enough for me.
No cumbersome pressure suit at that altitude nor carry-with oxygen
required. Much higher and you better have it - the higher you go the risk
increases exponentially and it do get colder. It was 30 below at 24k and
talk about wind chill factor at 200+ mph! The good news is you aren't there
long - about 2 minutes until you open at 2k. Kittinger had a drogue chute
for freefall stability - not really needed but that was an unknown then and
he had over 6 minutes of freefall but going over 600 mph before the thicker
lower air slowed him down.

The rigid wing escape suit is an interesting idea - not easy to get in and out
of and cumbersome, especially out of something going over 100 kts. I have
jumped the nylon wings and they are a blast to fly. I don't see many events
in a shuttle causing a bailout to give one time or reduced air speed to use any kind of a wingsuit. Maybe a ram air parachute but then they'd all have
to be skydivers!

[427 S/O]

Next to that, the guy who jumped from a plane and had two small jet engines mounted on small wings was equally as impressive. I believe someone here posted a clip?.