Man To Fall Far

“Sometime early this summer, Felix Baumgartner will try from 90,000 feet. Then, later in the summer, he’ll jump from more than 120,000 feet… Baumgartner’s team says that its primary aim is to advance the science of survival at extreme altitude, not just to break records or publicize Red Bull. One contribution they expect to be useful to future pilots and astronauts is a new field treatment protocol for vacuum exposure. Called high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFV), the technique would help a victim of vacuum exposure breathe without further damage to the lungs. While the treatment is common practice for burn victims, no one has ever thought to use it on victims of sudden decompression. The threat of exposure to near-zero atmospheric pressure levels is one of Clark’s biggest worries. If Baumgartner’s suit fails, the fluids in his body will start to boil and bubble in a process called ebullism. The resulting tissue damage could kill him if not treated immediately, so Clark is determined to have an HFV machine on the ground in case something goes wrong.”
 — Yes, please, do have an HFV machine ready when Felix Baumgartner jumps out of capsule attached to a hot-air balloon floating more than 120,000 feet above the earth. That’s 23 miles above the earth. He will be freefalling for 5-and-a-half-minutes, and will reach a projected speed of 690 miles per hour, becoming the first human being to break the sound barrier while not riding in a vehicle. Boom.