Stratoquest supersonic skydive

Flight Journal, Aug 2001 by DiGregorio, Barry E

Sometime in the near future, world champion skydiver Cheryl Steams intends to break the 102,800-foot free-fall skydive world record set on July 16, 1960, by USAF Capt. Joseph Kittinger. US Airways pilot Stearns (she flies the Boeing 737) is working with Project Stratoquest. This highly qualified 23-member team represents a broad spectrum of aeronautical talents dedicated to achieving the goal of a free fall from 130,000 feet.

Riding in an open lightweight aluminum gondola lofted by a 365 foot-long Mylar balloon, it will take Steams two-and-a-- half-hours to reach 130,000 feet. At this altitude, she will be above 99 percent of the earth's atmosphere, and the sky will look pitch black against the earth's curvature. As she prepares for her record fall, the Stratoquest team will seek answers to questions on high-altitude emergency bailout (such as might be necessary for space shuttle crews).

Stearns' specially designed space suit is made by the David Clark Co.-the group that made many of the space suits worn by NASA's pioneering astronauts and test pilots. Her helmet's built-in heads-up display will provide information on altitude, attitude and orientation.

During the freefall, Steams expects to exceed Mach 1 and, by maintaining an aerodynamic, head-down position, even Mach 1.3. A small crack or puncture in the helmet's faceplate could mean almost instant death. When asked whether she is apprehensive about her upcoming mission, Stearns replied "No; I'm not the least bit apprehensive; that's because I never do anything that I consider dangerous."

The event will be televised live, and cameras mounted on the balloon's gondola will capture the fall. (The broadcast network that will carry the Stratoquest mission has still to be formally agreed.) -Barry E. DiGregorio