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Yeager earlier and faster
Q: I thought that the sound barrier was broken before
Yeager during a free-fall from a hot air balloon. I'm almost sure that due to
the thin air in the upper atmosphere the jumper fell at a rate faster than the
speed
![[NASA] SR-71B takeoff with shock diamonds in the exhaust.](images/2003-06-27-supersonic.gif)
of sound. Can you let me know if I'm wrong? And would there have been a
sonic boom? —Jason Bickford, Dayton, Ohio
SR-71B takeoff with shock diamonds in the exhaust.
A: I’m afraid you’re wrong about breaking
the sound barrier. On Aug. 16,
1960, Capt. Joe Kittinger almost became the first supersonic without an
airplane. He free fell 4 minutes and 38 seconds from an altitude of 20 miles (32
kilometers). But he didn’t make supersonic speeds even at his rarefied
atmosphere. He did reach 90 % of sound speed (a colossal 614 mph [990 km/hr]).
Also, Kittinger dove 13 years after Chuck Yeager. Even so, Kittenger’s free fall
record has never been bested. No falling human has gone supersonic.
Yes, Kittinger would have created a sonic boom like the way a whip cracks
when its tip exceeds sound speed. Big dinosaurs (diplodocid sauropods) may have
whipped their tails supersonically, too.
Further Surfing:
WonderQuest: Yeager beats all
WonderQuest: Skydiving from the edge of space
Science News: Loud loop in snapping whip
(Answered June 27, 2003)
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