Michel Fournier (Le Grand Saut) News, 1710 GMT Fri 20 Sept

[Guest]

This is the latest from Saskatoon - it just came in.

Harju sends

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Dear journalists:

LAUNCH UPDATE. With winds as high as 60 km/h (38 mph) on the ground, it has
proved impossible through Friday to launch.

On Saturday morning, the Super Jump team will meet with the Canadian launch
expert and then consult with Canadian government officials who must give
final permission for any further launch attempts. NavCanada (Canadian air
control), Canadian Mission Control in Ontario, and the Canadian Space Agency
have been very helpful, all the while conscious of safety issues for Michel,
air traffic in the area and for the general population.

A decision will be made then whether to abort and either wait for May 2003
in the same location or consider other launch locations.

If we continue with the mission, it will be, not because Colonel Fournier
wishes to tempt fate, but because we must prove to NASA and future
astronauts of all nations that astronauts can safely eject and save their
lives even at the very edge of space. This was the reason for the original
European Space Agency program S-38, and a reason why Michel Fournier was
selected from 24 other astronaut finalists for the S-38 jump at 38,000
meters by the French government 15 years ago.
We will also prove that a human can survive supersonic speeds if need be to
save his or her life. We will prove new technologies in terms of space
suits, heat, cold and air pressure.

We will inform you after tomorrow's meeting.

Thanks for your interest in covering this historic event.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION AND FAQ. This may answer questions from many
journalists:

The launch site has been at a secret location in northern Saskatchewan, out
of even cell-phone contact.

The spacecraft/gondola is what one would expect of any quasi-spacecraft with
the exception that it will not need a heat-resistent shield (tiles) because
it will be descending much more slowly, actually at a parachute speed.

Michel Fornier will not suffer terminal velocity or high G forces. As banal
as it sounds, he will be falling at exactly one G, the force of one earth's
gravity. He will be accelerating from 0 km/h to Mach 1.5 in about 36 seconds
because there is virtually no air resistance (actually one/one-thousandth of
normal air pressure) at 40 km (25 miles) up, but Mother Earth's gravity will
pull him with almost the same force as gravity in downtown Saskatoon.

Michel will gain supersonic speed because the air is so thin (1/1,000th of
normal) at 25 miles up, the edge of space, and offers no resistance to slow
him down.

As he re-enters the thicker lower atmosphere, he will naturally decelerate
and will be descending for the last kilometer at a normal skydiving speed.

Because he is not traveling at nearly the speed of "Apollo 13," there is no
chance of burning up.

The metal (classified substance) gondola is covered in a thermal layer and
UV protection (againdt solar radiation), as are Michel's suit and his
gloves.

The equipment inside is a kind of special "throne" for Michel, with a high
back ledge to support the oxygen equipment on his back. There is a NASA-like
bank of instruments, for ground radio contact, monitoring altitude and
winds, his body conditions, air pressure inside and out, and video cameras
fixed on his face in the craft (in case of trouble) and on him as he jumps
out.

There is nothing like this capsule in the world for this special mission. It
is a shame that the jetstream with its dangerous crosswinds has been pulled
up constantly into Canada from the U.S. and interfered with the Super Jump.
The temperatures in Saskatchewan (as in Boston in August) have been very
unseasonably warm.

As you know, France, Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic and Russia have
suffered torrential rains, mass floods, financial devastation and
destruction of historic treasures. It would seem as if the world climate
changes are affecting all of us. A London meteorological research institute
said this was the hottest summer in the northern hemisphere in 148 years. It
certainly seems to have pulled the jetstream up into Canada, thwarting
Michel Fournier's 15-year quest to do the Super Jump from the edge of space,
and prove we can eject our brave astronauts to save their lives -- even
during the last
phase of boost.

Best,

John de Nugent, assistant press attaché

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[quade 4]

Ya just gotta love it when something is translated.

Quote

The equipment inside is a kind of special "throne" for Michel, with a . . .

My guess is the "throne" isn't an American Standard.

I also liked this graf.

Quote

The launch site has been at a secret location in northern Saskatchewan, out of even cell-phone contact.

Wow. My cubical could qualify as a secret location because I get pretty crappy cell reception there too.

quade -
The World's Most Boring Skydiver

[Guest]

I sat in the gondola last Sunday. It didn't look very "thronelike" to me. It was mostly just made of padded nylon, kind of like one of those newfangled camp chairs you see in the sporting goods department.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[narcimund 0]

Quote

Michel Fornier will not suffer terminal velocity

Strange comment... I wonder what it was supposed to mean.

First Class Citizen Twice Over

[Guest]

Some of this stuff has suffered in translation from French. They mean he won't get blown apart when he punches through the sound barrier.

"The mouse does not know life until it is in the mouth of the cat."

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Some of this stuff has suffered in translation from French. They mean he won't get blown apart when he punches through the sound barrier.

France Surrenders.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[mountainman 0]

I love how they call it the "Super Jump".

It sounds so....super.

http://www.brandonandlaura.com