Could We Create a Personal Re-Entry Suit for Space Travel?

[Ivan Seeking]

So I want one. Could we make one?

Just push away from the shuttle and enjoy the ride home. Heck, if done carefully, perhaps one could land in their own back yard!

 

[drag]

Originally posted by Ivan Seeking
So I want one. Could we make one?

Just push away from the shuttle and enjoy the ride home. Heck, if done carefully, perhaps one could land in their own back yard!

Too much mass due to heat protection on reentry and aerodynamic
qualities, landing gear/shoots/engines. Too much mass => too
much money and too much waste of valuable cargo capacity on
the SS/Soyuz/whatever launch vehicle. Also, clastrophobic !

Live long and prosper.

 

[Raavin]

Here's something close

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/escape/skydive.html

and some other stuff

http://www.batnet.com/mfwright/30Kjumps.html

Heat generated through reentry might be a problem when the atmosphere is too thin to slow you but I don't think it's impossible.

Raavin

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Originally posted by Raavin
Here's something close

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/escape/skydive.html

and some other stuff

http://www.batnet.com/mfwright/30Kjumps.html

Heat generated through reentry might be a problem when the atmosphere is too thin to slow you but I don't think it's impossible.

Raavin

Thank you; and interesting. I knew about some high altitude jumps at, guess where, Roswell, and I suppose that this is what gave me the idea. Although I was not really too serious, if this could be done I bet some people would pay millions to do it! If I had the money to waste, I would! That would have to be about the greatest ride of all time!

A very small re-entry vehicle aready exists for use with the space station. Also, it will be interesting to see if Burt Rutan's new re-entry concept will work.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/aviation/1998/11/proteus_rutan/