Space diving
Encyclopedia
Space diving refers to the theoretical idea of an individual falling from outer space
into the Earth's atmosphere and then parachuting to a landing. This is similar to sky diving but would occur from space. This concept has been shown in various media, including Star Trek and the novel Starship Troopers
.
suit would likely have to be armored to survive the heat of reentry, while also containing life support systems sufficient for the user to survive while in the airless conditions of space - Robert Heinlein, the author of Starship Troopers and a former spacesuit designer, conceived of a (fictional) reentry system involving multiple ablative shells and parachutes. These requirements would be somewhat eased when entering the atmosphere from a simple drop, where the heat of reentry would be considerably less than that of reentering from orbit. Parachute
s would require increased strength to slow the higher weights associated with the added equipment. NASA
is known to have investigated the concept in case of an emergency situation on the shuttle where alternative methods of reentry are not available — however, such planning has not moved beyond the conceptual stage given the high energies involved in reentry from orbital speeds.
Outer space
Outer space is the void that exists between celestial bodies, including the Earth. It is not completely empty, but consists of a hard vacuum containing a low density of particles: predominantly a plasma of hydrogen and helium, as well as electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, and neutrinos....
into the Earth's atmosphere and then parachuting to a landing. This is similar to sky diving but would occur from space. This concept has been shown in various media, including Star Trek and the novel Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers
Starship Troopers is a military science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein, first published as a serial in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction and published hardcover in December, 1959.The first-person narrative is about a young soldier from the Philippines named Juan "Johnnie" Rico and his...
.
Technical considerations and challenges
There are several technical requirements and challenges to the possibility of space jumping. Any reentryAtmospheric reentry
Atmospheric entry is the movement of human-made or natural objects as they enter the atmosphere of a celestial body from outer space—in the case of Earth from an altitude above the Kármán Line,...
suit would likely have to be armored to survive the heat of reentry, while also containing life support systems sufficient for the user to survive while in the airless conditions of space - Robert Heinlein, the author of Starship Troopers and a former spacesuit designer, conceived of a (fictional) reentry system involving multiple ablative shells and parachutes. These requirements would be somewhat eased when entering the atmosphere from a simple drop, where the heat of reentry would be considerably less than that of reentering from orbit. Parachute
Parachute
A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon...
s would require increased strength to slow the higher weights associated with the added equipment. NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
is known to have investigated the concept in case of an emergency situation on the shuttle where alternative methods of reentry are not available — however, such planning has not moved beyond the conceptual stage given the high energies involved in reentry from orbital speeds.
See also
- Project ExcelsiorProject ExcelsiorProject Excelsior was a series of high-altitude parachute jumps made by Colonel Joseph Kittinger of the United States Air Force in 1959 and 1960 to test the Beaupre multi-stage parachute system...
- Rick TumlinsonRick TumlinsonRick Tumlinson is the co-founder of the Space Frontier Foundation and a space activist. He has testified on space-related topics before the U.S. Congress six times since 1995...
- MOOSEMOOSEMOOSE, originally an acronym for Man Out Of Space Easiest but later changed to the more professional-sounding Manned Orbital Operations Safety Equipment, was a proposed emergency "bail-out" system capable of bringing a single astronaut safely down from Earth orbit to the planet's surface.The design...
, a study of an orbital bail-out system using a parachute