Free fall from the edge of space; breaking the sound barrier..WHY?

[carverman]

talking and stepping on to the moon at the same time - I think that even the most highly trained and professionally detached astronaut would have been having a tough time not just crapping himself in the immensity of the moment!

Yes, considering until Armstrong had both feet planted on the the lunar surface, he wasn't sure how deep that moon dust was and how far he would sink in..(there was a lot of speculation at the time in the area that he landed in the SEA OF TRANQUILITY
("Tranquilty Base-The Eagle has landed")...it could have been similar to lunar quick sand .

I think at a moment like that, it's hard to think of all the things you want to say with the correct syntax.

If it was me..I would have exclaimed "Holy Cr#p! It's not green cheese after all!

[My Own Advisor]

I was in awe watching yesterday....chin on ground kinda stuff. Watching him take that first step was insane....

[carverman]

and it helps to be a bit insane to do that kind of thing. It's not as though you can step out and just float down quietly on a parachute,
like his previous jumps. He was going at a terrific rate of speed and very lucky to stop the out of control spin. Had he not done that
and blacked out..he would be just a grease spot on the New Mexico desert!

[carverman]

I was in awe watching yesterday....chin on ground kinda stuff. Watching him take that first step was insane....

I guess it helps to be partly insane too. It's not like jumping off a cliff and floating down on a parachute. He was extremely lucky to recover
from that out of control spin, otherwise, had he blacked out, he would be just a small crater or grease spot in the desert.
Extremely risky manuever! I'm sure he wasn't able to get any life insurance from LLyods of London before the jump.

[crazyjackcsa]

For me, it's strictly for the exploration of the unknown and to forward our knowledge of the world we live in.

The most inspiring quote I've ever heard belongs to George Mallory on why he wanted to climbed Everest: "Because it's there."

I often use that phrase when I let my inner child out and have to explain to my wife why I want to go around the next bend in the path, another walk in the park, another climb on the jungle gym, or splash in a creek bed for no good reason with the kids. "Because it's there!" I'll explain, and off we go, we come home dirty, hungry, and usually with a couple of scrapes and a couple of stories, but we go.

His curiosity got him killed him of course, but so goes the will to explore.

You amp that urge to see the next bend, to explore a creek bed or whatever, and the next thing you know, you've strapped yourself to a rocketship and you're heading to the moon.

To be honest, I wish we were doing more exploring, costs (human and capital) be damned. You tell people there's an even chance they won't come back, but they'll get to do something nobody else has ever done, and you'll still get people lining up to do it.

Jump out of a balloon in low orbit? Screw that. That's loser talk. I say to the moon! To mars! To the botton of the ocean! To the centre of the earth! To the highest peak and the lowest valley! To the farthest reaches of the globe and to the next bend in path. Because it is there.

[Barwelle]

"Because it's there."

Great post, Trevor. Thanks.

[carverman]

For me, it's strictly for the exploration of the unknown and to forward our knowledge of the world we live in.

The most inspiring quote I've ever heard belongs to George Mallory on why he wanted to climbed Everest: "Because it's there."

Ok, I understand the need to explore something that has never been done before..but take Mt. Everest, for instance,..Sir Edmund Hillary
already did that in the 50s. He's in the Guiness world records as the first to conquer the tallest mountain in the world, but all the others
that have followed after, and some died of exposure..why do they need to prove something that has already been done before?

Moon's been done, Bottom of the ocean, the Mariana Trench-deepest part of the Pacific Ocean,has already been done in a state of the art
deep submersible, Titanic has been found and already plundered, Mars is been explored by robotic craft..while all that is interesting in the
respect of history or science, economically...the return on investment is questionable.

[crazyjackcsa]

Already been done?

What if Columbus had decided never to return to North America, because it's "Already been done?" With the most "high tech" equipment he had at his disposal. Or if Orville and Wilbur Wright had decided they had flown far enough, high enough and fast enough, and it had already been done?

We don't live on the moon, people haven't walked on the floor of the Mariana Trench, heck we haven't even found every creature in the ocean yet! Or on land for that matter! We discover new things everyday! And every failure, every success, every misson teaches us something. Furthers our understanding of the world we live in.

And the costs? Minimal. NASA has a budge equal to 0.53% of the total U.S. federal budget.

What economic impact have we gained? Water Filters,GPS Technology, Safety Grooving on roadways (believed to reduce crashes by 85%, Long distance telecommunications, shoe insoles, ear thermometers, scratch resistant lenses.

Not enough? How about:
1. CAT scanner: this cancer-detecting technology was first used to find imperfections in space components.
2. Computer microchip: modern microchips descend from integrated circuits used in the Apollo Guidance Computer.
3. Freeze-dried food: this reduces food weight and increases shelf life without sacrificing nutritional value.
4. Insulation: home insulation uses reflective material that protects spacecraft from radiation.
5. Invisible braces: teeth-straightening is less embarrassing thanks to transparent ceramic brace brackets made from spacecraft materials.
6. Memory foam: created for aircraft seats to soften landing, this foam, which returns to its original shape, is found in mattresses and shock absorbing helmets.

Heck, here's some reading for you:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NASA_spin-off_technologies

It's insane how much those beautiful nerds create for us.

[Just a Guy]

You have to remember, when we went to the moon, every ounce of payload had to be absolutely necessary...I'm sure that's why they left out the "a" in his speech.

[Toronto.gal]

Just say it T.G. .."BALLS"..he had the Balls to jump out of a space capsule at 138,000 feet!

For sure he has those, but why not exercise my linguistic abilities, LOL.

I don't object to those who enjoy such extreme thrills [not talking about astronauts, etc.]; it's their life after all, let them enjoy it, but I would just say to do so before marriage and children at least; not fair to put one's family through such agony [speaking in general] for a sake of a mere thrill.

I saw Mr. Baumgartner's mother watch her son as he jumped, and as a mother myself, can well imagine the agony she must have felt watching her son drop back to the ground at 1,342 km p/h [even when he's already 42, makes no difference]. My son is absolutely forbidden from ever trying such a stunt while I'm alive, and at any age.

As for climbing Everest, don't want to sound ignorant, but how have climbers in general helped humanity? I do have a certain admiration for them though.

Btw, I highly recommend the movie 'Touching the Void.'

http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2003/...portandleisure