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Outer sspace skydive planned
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Posted on Mar 06 2001
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) – A former Australian army commando plans to jump off the edge of outer space and plummet almost 25 miles to Earth in the highest skydive ever.
Rodd Millner, 37, will make the 40,000-meter jump by riding in a hot air balloon to the edge of space, the Australian Associated Press reported Sunday. He will wear an astronaut’s suit to protect his body from extreme pressures, it said.
The plan calls for Millner to fall at up to 1,100 mph during a seven-minute fall before opening a parachute. If he succeeds, he will break the sound barrier, the report said.
“It’s basically extreme science to see how far we can push it – this is going to change the face of a lot of things including emergency procedures for people exploring space,” he was quoted as saying by AAP.
Millner claims that scientists have helped him on the project, but it is not known if the human body is capable of enduring such a descent.
The jump may be a relaxing change for Millner, who teaches explosives and mine warfare to Australian army recruits.
Millner hopes to turn his plunge into a virtual computer game using film from cameras that will be fitted to his suit and the balloon.
Project Space Jump will be launched from Alice Springs in March 2002.
