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Felix Baumgartner No Big Deal

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124

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    #92
    Shenshen
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 9,453 Mod ✭✭✭✭Shenshen


    --Kaiser-- wrote: »
    A lot of people get paid hundreds of thousands a year to kick a ball around. Context

    Equally ridiculous.


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    #93
    sbsquarepants
    Registered Users Posts: 11,812 ✭✭✭✭sbsquarepants


    Not really, but nice to watch
    Shenshen wrote: »
    I actually got seriously annoyed. The amount of money (mostly from sponsorship) going into such a stupid, pointless, useless, egomanic thing like that! Red Bull spent hundreds of thousands on this.

    The only thing I was sure of after watching this is that I will never, ever touch a Red Bull again in my life. Throwing money at something as dull and ridiculous as that when they could have given it to charities or useful projects instead.
    Idiots, the lot of them.

    I think they actually spent close to ten million. But saying they could have given the money to charity is a bit pointless - every company could have given all their profits to charity, but they don't. That's just life.
    nobby grande wrote: »
    Please don't turn this into an economic issue. I hear what you are saying but science experiments need funding, always have always will. To advance and progress we (humans) have to invest. Speculate to accumulate and all that. The fact that redbull pump money into this and other extreme sports in not only intelligent marketing but the funding money is advancing our knowledge and expierience of travel above the stratosphere. How do you feel about the Mars rover landings or the SETI research in the Atacama desert?
    Do you believe in funding science?

    I think people are hugely overstating the scientific importance of this jump. It was a glorified tv ad - not some paradigm shifting research project.
    Dempsey wrote: »
    The whole point of the jump was to explore the effects of acceleration to supersonic velocity on humans and to test equipment and improve safety procedures for high altitude ditching. A mannequin wouldnt work!

    I don't think so - the main point of the jump was to sell red bull, anything else was entirely coincidental. But i do agree, a mannequin wouldn't have sold much!
    Any neccesary info about supersonic velocity and so on would be researched by the military - not an energy drink company.


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    #94
    Dempsey
    Registered Users Posts: 20,553 ✭✭✭✭Dempsey


    Yea, Its up there with events of 2012
    sbsquarepants wrote: »
    Any neccesary info about supersonic velocity and so on would be researched by the military - not an energy drink company.

    Wrong. NASA and the US military are buying the data because they havent done this


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    #95
    DesBee
    Registered Users Posts: 1 ✭DesBee


    The guy talking him through on the TV coverage was the man who did it in 1960, he did it in a ballon with a basket!!! but he could not reach the height that mr. redbull could achieve. Having said that, there was a risk of him blacking out as he spun out of control and not been able to make a safe landing, plus he was not an astronaut, he had no experience in jumping in a space suit and dealing with the atmospheric pressures that
    most people doing this stunt would have previous training for.


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    #96
    flyswatter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,625 ✭✭✭flyswatter


    Not really, but nice to watch
    fred funk }{ wrote: »

    It takes balls of steel to do something like that and it's certainly not something some of the keyboard warriors in here would attempt.

    Bet he gets more women as well. :pac:


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    #97
    cowzerp
    Registered Users Posts: 10,549 ✭✭✭✭cowzerp


    T-K-O wrote: »
    It takes a lotta balls to make that jump but like I said, less impressive when some dude makes the same jump in the 60/70's

    Seriously, it's just a really long boring jump, the dangerous bit is hitting the ground and that's the same whether doing 10k meters or this, the suit took the space element out of it, I really don't get how people think doing a longer freefall is a big deal

    Rush Boxing club and Rush Martial Arts head coach.



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    #98
    flyswatter
    Closed Accounts Posts: 3,625 ✭✭✭flyswatter


    Not really, but nice to watch
    cowzerp wrote: »
    Seriously, it's just a really long boring jump, the dangerous bit is hitting the ground and that's the same whether doing 10k meters or this, the suit took the space element out of it, I really don't get how people think doing a longer freefall is a big deal

    Nope, the dangerous bit was when he span in the air out of control and nearly died.


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    #99
    Wibbs
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,109 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    Boringgggg...
    DesBee wrote: »
    The guy talking him through on the TV coverage was the man who did it in 1960, he did it in a ballon with a basket!!! but he could not reach the height that mr. redbull could achieve. Having said that, there was a risk of him blacking out as he spun out of control and not been able to make a safe landing, plus he was not an astronaut, he had no experience in jumping in a space suit and dealing with the atmospheric pressures that
    most people doing this stunt would have previous training for.
    He spent three years getting ready and getting used to a pressure suit tailored for him. He did many jumps in the suit and went "up" in pressure tanks. You don't think he strapped on the suit a week before do you?
    flyswatter wrote: »
    Nope, the dangerous bit was when he span in the air out of control and nearly died.
    *sigh* this keeps being repeated, but he wasn't in nearly as much danger as is being suggested. He had a drogue chute that would automatically deploy if the G's went beyond the safe limit. It was even in the documentary.

    Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.



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    #100
    fergiesfolly
    Registered Users Posts: 3,338 ✭✭✭fergiesfolly


    Yea, Its up there with events of 2012
    The same people who said meh probably wet themselves when theres a little turbulence as their Ryanair flight lands.


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    #101
    nobby grande
    Registered Users Posts: 117 ✭✭nobby grande


    Not really, but nice to watch
    Shenshen wrote: »
    I do believe in funding for science.
    I do not believe in throwing hundreds of thousands of Euros at an egomaniac on a mission to make a 4 minute youtube video.

    That inspirational 4 minute you tube video is your personal expierience of this experiment. It was not sum total of the efforts of team involved. it is merely a visual by product of the event and one i feel very glad to be lucky enough to live in an era where this technology is freely available. The space jump and the sharing of the event via a free world wide sharing service are both triumphs of human advancement.

    The post above makes it clear to me we are not going to agree on this issue. My viewpoint is that this was a success for scientific advancement in space travel and a triumph of human endeavour. Even the slightest bit of new data learned is an advancement and i welcome all progress made with regard to space travel / terraforming etc.

    As a side note i think that this particular feat was an inspiring piece of individual and collective effort from the team involved. Forget about red bull or any of the branding. I admire the sense of adventure and the risks undertaken in the name of progress. So much these days is monotony and routine. This project actually and literally amazed me. The fact that a private company did it and not a government makes it all the more impressive. If this was a chinese government mission and the project was state funded i would probably (definitely) agree with you but as it isnt then i dont seee the issue. Private firm profits benefit human undertanding of space travel is a win in my book. How else could we benefit from red bull's profits?

    As i have said i respect your view on the money spent but we have to disagree on the merits of the project. Thankfully the team who managed the financial funding and the logistics of this project agree with me.

    Now i'm off for a can of shark.


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    #102
    c_man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,436 ✭✭✭c_man


    Not really, but nice to watch
    Yeah, boring as hell. Like yer man Philippe Petit going between the twin towers. Big deal, I've been walking since I was a baby. Sure he had a rope and all. Wouldn't even have glanced my head up if I were there.


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    #103
    M cebee
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,431 ✭✭✭M cebee


    don't think he beats yer man above that walked between towers or alain robert


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    #104
    T-K-O
    Registered Users Posts: 6,309 ✭✭✭T-K-O


    cowzerp wrote: »
    Seriously, it's just a really long boring jump, the dangerous bit is hitting the ground and that's the same whether doing 10k meters or this, the suit took the space element out of it, I really don't get how people think doing a longer freefall is a big deal

    To be fair it looks pretty cool and some of the images are amazing. However my initial point stands, some dude did the same thing 30 years ago that kinda puts this current jump into perspective.


    There was nothing ground breaking to see here.


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    #105
    kopfan77
    Registered Users Posts: 324 ✭✭kopfan77


    Not really, but nice to watch
    I thought the guy came across as a total whingebag the whole way through the documentary. I kept thinking that the older guy who did the jump decades ago was looking at him thinking would you ever suck it up and quit crying all the time!!


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    #106
    nacimroc
    Registered Users Posts: 518 ✭✭✭nacimroc


    Boringgggg...
    Joe Kittinger is a legend and always will be. He did it 50 years ago on a chair tied to a balloon when nobody knew what was going to happen. He only had to jump at that height because his right hand had frozen so bad he thought he would lose it because his ****ty suit burst. A real f**kin man!!!

    That Felix idiot fell out of a pressurised contained with a suit worth millions after years of research, knowing exactly what would happen, safety gear so there was a small chance of dying all while moaning like a bitch! Well done for falling!!

    The speed doesn't matter because the atmosphere is so thin, there is almost no resistance so the speed is all relative therefore doesn't really matter and the height difference is pittance in the grand scale.

    Shame that idiot gets so much credit and wouldn't acknowledge Joe's work on the day properly!


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    #107
    Richard Hillman
    Registered Users Posts: 12,033 ✭✭✭✭Richard Hillman


    If you watched the event live you would think differently.


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    #108
    shedweller
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,029 ✭✭✭shedweller


    Yea, Its up there with events of 2012
    I think there has to be a bit of give and take on this. Joe kittinger would give chuck norris a run for his money. Felix bitched and moaned but times are different these days.
    And yes, we would be doing far grander things were it not for those pesky banks!


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    #109
    tacofries
    Registered Users Posts: 854 ✭✭✭tacofries


    Yea, Its up there with events of 2012
    What I thought was amazing was the fact that his jump made me realise how small our world is. I also found it unbelievable to think that for no other real reason than besides 'because we can'( and a bit of advertisi ;) ) it was done and this shows how eager humans are to always push the limits!! :D


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    #110
    LuckyLloyd
    Registered Users Posts: 36,229 ✭✭✭✭LuckyLloyd


    Not really, but nice to watch
    Joe Kittinger's jump is one of the most daring feats in the history of man. It was beyond gutsy and really rather ridiculous in many ways. However, that doesn't make the recent jump 'boring' or 'safe' or 'dull'. He had a lot of backing and training and preparation, etc. But there was no rescue happening if something went wrong, the spin he experienced could have been fatal and, you know, HE'S JUMPING OFF A STRUCTURE 39KM ABOVE THE GROUND.

    Kittinger will never be matched, sure. But they are both great achievements in their own right.


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    #111
    somefeen
    Registered Users Posts: 1,657 ✭✭✭somefeen


    Was hardly the moon landing.


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    #112
    Jay D
    Registered Users Posts: 2,738 ✭✭✭Jay D


    Yea, Its up there with events of 2012
    fasttalkerchat wrote: »
    When this was on TV I thought it was just because of the sponsorship and something lighthearted to fill the news with.
    But, people took it seriously, I didn't realise I'm the only one who thought it was nothing special. People skydive all the time, skydiving from a lower altitude is actually harder than a higher altitude.
    Okay, he broke a world record. But, there was no scientific or human achievement like the Moon or Mars landings.

    I'd love to see you go all the way up there and say that.


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    #113
    Emeraldy Pebbles
    Closed Accounts Posts: 787 ✭✭✭Emeraldy Pebbles


    Wibbs wrote: »
    Yep pretty much. Nick Piantanida was his name. He had balls. Baumgartner had millions in sponsorship, a big team and the best facilities over three years to get used to a (tailored for him)pressure suit, much improved technology and the advantage that others had been up there before. And still he stormed off in a huff to get hypnotherapy to settle his nerves(and arsed about with the team who had worked so hard for him). He came across as a bit of a petulant fecker IMH.

    This is very harsh. It doesn't matter how much money was thrown at him, carrying it out is still a difficult thing to do. Lucky him that he had so much money to work with. He still had to do the jump, money wouldn't do that for him.

    Perhaps that Nick guy was just foolhardy, attempting it with such inadequate equipment. I'm not sure he necessarily had more cojones than Baumgartner.


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    #114
    fasttalkerchat
    Registered Users Posts: 5,652 ✭✭✭fasttalkerchat


    Boringgggg...
    Jay D wrote: »
    I'd love to see you go all the way up there and say that.

    I'd love to do it myself but not until it is proven to be safe.


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    #115
    sbsquarepants
    Registered Users Posts: 11,812 ✭✭✭✭sbsquarepants


    Not really, but nice to watch
    Dempsey wrote: »
    Wrong. NASA and the US military are buying the data because they havent done this

    I didn't know that, it's very interesting but hardly surprising and it's really just a side effect in any case.
    It wasn't done for nasa - it was done to sell drinks.


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    #116
    Wibbs
    Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,109 Mod ✭✭✭✭Wibbs


    Boringgggg...
    LuckyLloyd wrote: »
    Joe Kittinger's jump is one of the most daring feats in the history of man. It was beyond gutsy and really rather ridiculous in many ways. However, that doesn't make the recent jump 'boring' or 'safe' or 'dull'. He had a lot of backing and training and preparation, etc. But there was no rescue happening if something went wrong, the spin he experienced could have been fatal and, you know, HE'S JUMPING OFF A STRUCTURE 39KM ABOVE THE GROUND.

    Kittinger will never be matched, sure. But they are both great achievements in their own right.
    Oh Felix' jump was gutsy enough, but IMHO it's impact is more down to the fact it was wired for sound so the whole web world could watch it. A mini(very) version of the moon landings for the E generations. Plus like I've said the spin was unlikely to have been fatal as he had an automatic release drone chute that would trigger and stabilise him if the forces got too high.
    Emeraldy Pebbles wrote: »
    Perhaps that Nick guy was just foolhardy, attempting it with such inadequate equipment. I'm not sure he necessarily had more cojones than Baumgartner.
    Nick or Joe didn't take hissy fits. He didn't decide to change the management of his team because it suited him, Nick or Joe didn't storm off and go away for months to get hypnotherapy and new age music fired at him because of anxiety. Felix really appeared well out his depth(or is that height) more than once. Odd considering his background as a base jumper. The joke is I rate him in a big way for that stuff. NO way in hell would I even dream of doing that kinda thing. :eek:

    There were also a couple of Soviet guys who did high altitude jumps in the early 60's, one died in the attempt, though the other guy had the longest freefall before Felix' record.

    As for practical applications and talk of NASA wanting the data. Sure data is always it's own reward, but I can't see it being practical as far as space flight goes. If there's a problem on the way up they're gonna be going at or near 25,000 miles per hour so game over surviving that ejection. If they're coming back in, they're hitting similar speeds until they get deeper into the atmosphere so again the value of the data is gonna be pretty limited. Then again the first man to orbit the earth Yuri Gargarin actually parachuted from his capsule before it landed(flattened itself in a field) so parachuting can save lives in space flight. Of course that little fact was top secret until the Iron Curtain came down.

    Now the first guy(or gal) to freefall from orbit, that would be beyond amazing and useful, if it's even possible.

    Rejoice in the awareness of feeling stupid, for that’s how you end up learning new things. If you’re not aware you’re stupid, you probably are.



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    #117
    Dempsey
    Registered Users Posts: 20,553 ✭✭✭✭Dempsey


    Yea, Its up there with events of 2012
    sbsquarepants wrote: »
    I didn't know that, it's very interesting but hardly surprising and it's really just a side effect in any case.
    It wasn't done for nasa - it was done to sell drinks.

    You think Red Bull came up with the idea to do the jump?! :pac:


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    #118
    opinion guy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,001 ✭✭✭✭opinion guy


    Yea, Its up there with events of 2012
    OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!:mad:

    You mean to tell me he had a suit ?!?!?!?!?!?!?! WTF ???? Next you will be telling me he used a parachute for his basejumps instead of just having really big thighs to absorb the impact!?!?! Like Chuck Norris....he's a real man - he wouldn't have used a pressure suit he would have just held his breath for a really long time.........


    Seriously people....he jumped from 39km.....I mean did you not watch the video ? Joe Kittinger was guiding him through it and looked pretty damn happy and proud during the after interviews, so I don't know where all this stuff about this jump not being as impressive as Joe's jump is coming from - Joe seemed fairly impressed himself.

    To me - it was awe-inspiring landing on the moon level stuff.


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    #119
    twinytwo
    Registered Users Posts: 5,179 ✭✭✭twinytwo


    Dodge wrote: »
    I'm in the "Not really, but nice to watch" camp

    A bit of the shine was taken off by the Red Bull hype that went with it. I can understand that there's a serious research side to it too but I'm sure there were far more groundbreaking scientific advancements made that weren't covered by live TV

    The speed of sound thing means nothing to me. Maybe I don't just get the fascination with it

    Enjoyed looking at his fall though. Good ten minutes of TV. I can't be the only one to have thought the possibility of him, eh, "encountering a problem" was part of the TV attraction though, can I?

    Lets add some perspective to this Usain Bolt the fastest man on the planet can hit 29.7 is mph which is about 11 meters per second give or take. The human can hit about half that.

    A 747 does about 280 meters per second

    Very few lucky fighter pilots and astronauts have broken the sound barrier.

    Felix using nothing but gravity hit 373 meters per second approx


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    #120
    Maximus Alexander
    Registered Users Posts: 13,080 ✭✭✭✭Maximus Alexander


    Boringgggg...
    opinion guy wrote: »
    To me - it was awe-inspiring landing on the moon level stuff.

    This kind of comment makes me think you just can't really comprehend the moon landing at all.


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    #121
    opinion guy
    Closed Accounts Posts: 11,001 ✭✭✭✭opinion guy


    Yea, Its up there with events of 2012
    Maximus Alexander wrote: »
    This kind of comment makes me think you just can't really comprehend the moon landing at all.

    Oh....I'm sorry.....I'm just not as smart as you......please do explain it to little old me

    :rolleyes:


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