Science Alan Eustace quietly sets altitude world record

scho63 · 10-25-2014, 07:53 AM

Wow! This is awesome and the guy is 57 years old to boot!

==========================================
Google executive culminates a secret, three-year mission by breaking Alex Baumgartner’s record; reaches 135,890 feet, breaks sound barrier on descent

http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/excur...-world-record/

A secret, three-year mission culminated in a well-known computer scientist breaking the world record for altitude by a skydiver set by Felix Baumgartner two years ago, according to The New York Times.

On Friday morning, with little fanfare and no pre-event publicity to speak of, Alan Eustace, 57, a senior vice president at Google, was lifted 135,890 feet into the stratosphere by a huge balloon from an abandoned airport in Roswell, New Mexico, and dropped toward Earth.

Wearing a specially designed spacesuit, Eustace traveled up to 822 mph and broke the sound barrier. Spectators on the ground heard the sonic boom, but Eustace neither heard nor felt it.

It took Eustace two hours to reach the record height—surpassing Baumgartner’s record of 128,100 feet—and only took him 15 minutes to return to Earth, landing 70 miles from where he took off.

“It was amazing,” he told The Times. “It was beautiful. You could see the darkness of space and you could see the layers of atmosphere, which I had never seen before.”

Baumgartner’s attempt was heavily promoted, and he used high-tech equipment and a sophisticated capsule from which to launch. It was the opposite for Eustace.

He didn’t have a capsule or a massive amount of high-tech equipment. He was connected to the lines of the balloon and used a small explosive device to cut himself free. On his descent, he did two slow backflips and was righted by a small parachute. About 4 1/2 minutes into his descent, he pulled his main parachute.

Alan Eustace parachuting to ground. It took him two hours to reach record height and 15 minutes to return to Earth. Photo is a screen grab from video by Atomic Entertainment and Paragon Space Development Corp.

“It was a wild, wild ride,” he told The Times. “I hugged on to the equipment module and tucked my legs and I held my heading.”

From The Times:

Mr. Eustace planned his jump in the utmost secrecy, working for almost three years with a small group of technologists skilled in spacesuit design, life-support systems, and parachute and balloon technology.

He carried modest GoPro cameras aloft, connected to his ground-control center by an off-the-shelf radio.
Eustace declined company support from Google, telling The Times he was worried that his jump would become a marketing event.

Considering the lack of publicity, he definitely succeeded.

**Canofbier** · 10-25-2014, 08:20 AM

That's one thing to do when you're privately super-wealthy. I applaud the guy for keeping it small.

vailpass · 10-25-2014, 10:30 AM

Oh hell no...

L.A. Chieffan · 10-25-2014, 10:47 AM

I guess you get really bored when you have billions of dollars

**007** · 10-25-2014, 10:49 AM

what shitty video footage.

Halfcan · 10-25-2014, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Guru

what shitty video footage.

Yep-the other guys video was truly amazing.

Free fall for 15 minutes-that would rock. I love skydiving!

ghak99 · 10-25-2014, 03:04 PM

I caught the end of a news clip of some guy face planting into the desert as he touched down and wondered why I hadn't heard anything about this jump.

I think it's pretty cool that he chose to fly under the radar as he did.

mikey23545 · 10-25-2014, 03:22 PM

This man I respect, just like Joseph Kittinger, and unlike the attention-whoring Baumgartner.

Congratulations, Mr. Eustace.

cosmo20002 · 10-25-2014, 03:34 PM

Is there any reason I couldn't do this? I mean, if I had the $?
Seems like the important things are funding and gravity.

vailpass · 10-25-2014, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cosmo20002

Is there any reason I couldn't do this? I mean, if I had the $?
Seems like the important things are funding and gravity.

And stugots...

10-25-2014, 07:53 AM
scho63 Politically Incorrect Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ Casino cash: $-1050000	Alan Eustace quietly sets altitude world record Wow! This is awesome and the guy is 57 years old to boot! ========================================== Google executive culminates a secret, three-year mission by breaking Alex Baumgartner’s record; reaches 135,890 feet, breaks sound barrier on descent http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/excur...-world-record/ A secret, three-year mission culminated in a well-known computer scientist breaking the world record for altitude by a skydiver set by Felix Baumgartner two years ago, according to The New York Times. On Friday morning, with little fanfare and no pre-event publicity to speak of, Alan Eustace, 57, a senior vice president at Google, was lifted 135,890 feet into the stratosphere by a huge balloon from an abandoned airport in Roswell, New Mexico, and dropped toward Earth. Wearing a specially designed spacesuit, Eustace traveled up to 822 mph and broke the sound barrier. Spectators on the ground heard the sonic boom, but Eustace neither heard nor felt it. It took Eustace two hours to reach the record height—surpassing Baumgartner’s record of 128,100 feet—and only took him 15 minutes to return to Earth, landing 70 miles from where he took off. “It was amazing,” he told The Times. “It was beautiful. You could see the darkness of space and you could see the layers of atmosphere, which I had never seen before.” Baumgartner’s attempt was heavily promoted, and he used high-tech equipment and a sophisticated capsule from which to launch. It was the opposite for Eustace. He didn’t have a capsule or a massive amount of high-tech equipment. He was connected to the lines of the balloon and used a small explosive device to cut himself free. On his descent, he did two slow backflips and was righted by a small parachute. About 4 1/2 minutes into his descent, he pulled his main parachute. Alan Eustace parachuting to ground. It took him two hours to reach record height and 15 minutes to return to Earth. Photo is a screen grab from video by Atomic Entertainment and Paragon Space Development Corp. “It was a wild, wild ride,” he told The Times. “I hugged on to the equipment module and tucked my legs and I held my heading.” From The Times: Mr. Eustace planned his jump in the utmost secrecy, working for almost three years with a small group of technologists skilled in spacesuit design, life-support systems, and parachute and balloon technology. He carried modest GoPro cameras aloft, connected to his ground-control center by an off-the-shelf radio. Eustace declined company support from Google, telling The Times he was worried that his jump would become a marketing event. Considering the lack of publicity, he definitely succeeded.
Posts: 55,175

10-25-2014, 08:20 AM	#2
Canofbier ¡RIOS MIO! Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Minneapolis Casino cash: $3776981	That's one thing to do when you're privately super-wealthy. I applaud the guy for keeping it small.
Posts: 4,323

10-25-2014, 10:30 AM	#3
vailpass Psycho Bag Of Squanch Join Date: Sep 2001 Casino cash: $9594244	Oh hell no... __________________ “Education is a weapon whose effect depends on who holds it in his hands and at whom it is aimed.” Joseph Stalin
Posts: 69,591

10-25-2014, 10:47 AM	#4
L.A. Chieffan PLAY GOOD FOOTBALL Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: American Gardens Building Casino cash: $2678654	I guess you get really bored when you have billions of dollars
Posts: 17,400

10-25-2014, 10:49 AM	#5
007 Shaken. Not stirred. Join Date: Sep 2002 Location: London Casino cash: $12090126 VARSITY	what shitty video footage. __________________ My dear girl, there are some things that just aren’t done. Such as, drinking Dom Perignon ’53 above the temperature of 38 degrees Fahrenheit. That’s just as bad as listening to the Beatles without earmuffs.
Posts: 65,741

10-25-2014, 03:04 PM	#7
ghak99 MVP Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Missouri Casino cash: $-2057750	I caught the end of a news clip of some guy face planting into the desert as he touched down and wondered why I hadn't heard anything about this jump. I think it's pretty cool that he chose to fly under the radar as he did.
Posts: 9,095

10-25-2014, 03:22 PM	#8
mikey23545 MVP Join Date: Aug 2000 Casino cash: $10015321	This man I respect, just like Joseph Kittinger, and unlike the attention-whoring Baumgartner. Congratulations, Mr. Eustace.
Posts: 12,314

10-25-2014, 03:34 PM	#9
cosmo20002 Debunking your bullshit Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: KC area Casino cash: $3630890	Is there any reason I couldn't do this? I mean, if I had the $? Seems like the important things are funding and gravity.
Posts: 52,592