September 24, 2003
JUMP FIEND
That's a picture of one of my personal heroes, Joe Kittinger. Colonel Joe set the altitude jump record in 1960 when he piloted his balloon, The Excelsior III, to 102,800 feet and bailed out. That's almost twenty miles high. Joe broke the speed of sound on the way down. He free fell for four minutes, thirty six seconds.
Still the jump record. What a fucking hoss.
So I figure my rhesus monkey will look like this when he separates from the capsule, only smaller, and at 25,000 feet. Hopefully intact. I like a challenge.
Isn't that record jump frickin amazing? I saw something about it on TV one time, I think in connection with the space program and finding out what people could take. Bailing from that far up and surviving was one of those things, and that's the guy who had the balls to do it.
Posted by: Jay Solo at September 24, 2003 10:28 PMEvel Knievel was a piker.
Now about that monkey... why would you harm the poor creature like that? Can I suggest using a telemarketer instead?
Posted by: Ted at September 25, 2003 12:40 PMI hear that Colonel Kittinger used to roll his 'nads around in a wheelbarrow.
Seriously, now, he's one of my heroes too. I always wanted to do that kind of jump.
Posted by: Eichra Oren at September 25, 2003 3:18 PM