Man plans to luanch himself 20ft in the air

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Brian Walker plans to launch himself nearly 20 miles into the air using a homemade rocket fired from a massive crossbow. The required thrust for this stunt is estimated at 1,350 lbs, but the feasibility is questioned due to air drag and the lack of details on thrust duration. Many participants in the discussion express skepticism about the safety and approval of such a dangerous endeavor, with the FAA likely to reject it. The conversation includes humorous remarks about the absurdity of the plan and references to potential awards for reckless behavior. Overall, the consensus is that the stunt is highly impractical and poses significant risks.
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Man plans to luanch himself 20mi in the air

There is no subtle way to say this: Brian Walker plans to shoot himself nearly 20 miles into the air aboard a homemade rocket launched from what could be the world’s largest crossbow. (Seriously.)
http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/14.06/start.html?pg=11
Ok so how much froce would he need to fire him and is it possible?
And how likely will he die(99.9% or 99.99999998%)
 
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The article says 1,350 lbs of thrust. There was no indication of the distance over which that thrust would act so we have no way of evaluating whether he could achieve the speed necessary to rise 20 miles AND allow for very substantial air drag.

Also, the probability that he will die during the event is 0. The FAA will not approve such a preposterous stunt.
 
Um, this thread might not get the attention you'd hoped for, considering the wording of the title...
 
DaveC426913 said:
Um, this thread might not get the attention you'd hoped for, considering the wording of the title...
Yes but I think I'am getting good enough attention.
 
I clicked on it just because the 20 foot thing sounded silly :smile:
 
Tide, You'd be amazed at what they'll grant an experimental ticket for. Personally I think this guy is another in the line of morons that have a bit too much money and not enough sense to know that they don't know what they are doing.
 
The speed required to rise ballistically to a given height under the influence of gravity and drag is

v_0 = v_T \sqrt {e^{2 g h /v_T^2}-1}

where v_T is the terminal velocity. Try plugging a few numbers in! :)
 
This reminds me of a certain scene from Dr. Strangelove...
 
Is this year's Darwin Award spoken for yet?
 
  • #10
No, but I'll second that nomination! :-)
 
  • #11
Is this year's Darwin Award spoken for yet?
I wish it hadn't :groan: I already got it.
 
  • #12
Tide said:
Also, the probability that he will die during the event is 0. The FAA will not approve such a preposterous stunt.
Yes if he did the probabillity will be high.

How large would the crossbow have to be to luanch a person 20 miles high?
 
  • #13
Just off the top of my head, I'm guessing that it would need about a 10 mile draw length. (It all comes down to how good your string is. :-p )
 
  • #14
My Iq just went down reading this tread...
 
  • #15
So you'll be building one of these soon, then?
 
  • #16
A two seater. I will use my model piper cub for thrust. :smile:
 
  • #17
Great! I'll take right seat. Just give me a minute to go get my Sumo suit and scuba mask. (That's pretty much the same as a space-suit, isn't it?)
 

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