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Thursday, February 27, 2025

Falling from 900,000 feet

falling

Falling from 900,000 feet (approximately 171 miles or 275,000 meters) without a parachute or any kind of equipment for slowing your descent would be unsurvivable. At that altitude, you would be entering the Earth's atmosphere from the edge of space, and the speeds involved would be extremely high.

The terminal velocity of a human falling through the atmosphere is typically around 120 mph (193 km/h). However, when falling from such a high altitude, you would likely reach much higher speeds due to the lack of air resistance in the near-vacuum of space. The extreme speeds and the intense heat generated during re-entry would make any attempt at survival impossible. Even if falling into the ocean!

Surviving a fall from such a height without equipment is beyond the realm of possibility for a human being. It's important to stress the importance of safety and the use of appropriate equipment, such as parachutes or other means, when engaging in activities involving significant altitudes or free falls.

Here is some more information about the conditions and challenges associated with falling from extreme altitudes and what makes such a fall unsurvivable:

  1. Atmospheric Re-entry: When you fall from the edge of space, you enter Earth's atmosphere at extremely high speeds. The atmosphere becomes denser and exerts significant drag, which can cause tremendous heat due to compression. This intense heat, often referred to as "heat of re-entry," is caused by the high kinetic energy generated during the fall. It can lead to temperatures well above what the human body can withstand.

  2. Speed: As you fall from such an altitude, your speed will increase rapidly. The terminal velocity of a human is around 120 mph (193 km/h) at lower altitudes, but when falling from the edge of space, you would reach much higher speeds, likely exceeding the speed of sound (approximately 761 mph or 1,225 km/h). The human body is not built to withstand these extreme speeds.

  3. Lack of Oxygen: At such high altitudes, the lack of oxygen would make it impossible for you to breathe without life support equipment. As you fall to lower altitudes, the increase in air density would not provide sufficient time for the restoration of oxygen levels.

  4. Impact: Even if by some miracle you survived the intense heat and high-speed descent, the impact with the surface, whether it's land or water, would be catastrophic. The forces involved in hitting the ground at such speeds would be unsurvivable.

  5. Space Conditions: The conditions of near-space, including extreme cold, radiation exposure, and the vacuum of space, would also present significant challenges to survival.

In summary, falling from the edge of space without any equipment to slow your descent, such as a parachute, is an event with an extremely high lethality rate. Survival in such circumstances is virtually impossible due to the combination of factors like heat, speed, lack of oxygen, and impact forces. It's crucial to prioritize safety and use appropriate equipment and precautions when engaging in activities involving significant altitudes or free falls.

Source: Some or all of the content was generated using an AI language model

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