Red Bull doesn't give you brains!

[Pondlife]

He's going to jump ~3 hours after launch.

D'Oh.

Panic over lads. Back to your vehicles. Nothing to see here.

[EternalOptimist]

Glad it's been delayed, as I'd forgotten it was on and didn't want to miss it.

I was reading this morning that he isn't going to open his parachute until 1,500m. Scary stuff. There wont be much time to think much more than "oh f.." if it fails at that altitude and speed.

I think it's automated. there is a reed relay connecting the back of his underpants to a metal contact in the suit.
Once his underpants fill up, the contact is made and the chute deploys

[Doggy Styles]

Glad it's been delayed, as I'd forgotten it was on and didn't want to miss it.

I was reading this morning that he isn't going to open his parachute until 1,500m. Scary stuff. There wont be much time to think much more than "oh f.." if it fails at that altitude and speed.

He will have slowed down by 1500m.

Even at 300mph he is over 10 seconds from the ground.

[alreadypacked]

On ‘weather hold’ – launch now postponed to 17.30GMT.

[SupremeSpod]

Glad it's been delayed, as I'd forgotten it was on and didn't want to miss it.

I was reading this morning that he isn't going to open his parachute until 1,500m. Scary stuff. There wont be much time to think much more than "oh f.." if it fails at that altitude and speed.

Proverbs 17:28

[SupremeSpod]

1500m?

4,500 feet.

That's a loooong way up.

And he'll be doing about 120mph by then.

You are pissing into the wind. She's an expert and we're all wrong.

[EternalOptimist]

Trust in the Lord & keep your powder dry?

more along the lines of 'best to keep your gob shut and let people wonder if you are a fool, than open your gob and remove all doubt'

[OwlHoot]

He certainly deserves some respect for the attempt. I just hope he stays away from that reserve toggle!

Couldn't this have a lightweight lock, based on a spring-loaded piston for example, which prevents the toggle from being pulled until a "safe" altitude of say 20,000 feet is reached, at which point atmospheric pressure pushes the piston back past a certain point?

If not, I'll whump up a design in five minutes and apply for Dragon's Den. The snag is I imagine there's rather limited demand for high-altitude parachute gear.

[d000hg]

No matter how high up he starts, he won't hit the ground significantly faster than a normal sky-diver would do. I'm not sure that's a great consolation.

[OwlHoot]

Proverbs 17:28

"As the dog returns to his vomit, so the fool returns to his folly" ?

Just guessing mind.