Could a human ride a high altitude balloon?

Question

What are the special challenges a human would face at near space altitude? What are the temperature and pressure conditions? Could a suit be designed to protect the body?

Answer 1

A space suit should work just fine. It has been done.
Read about it:
http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Lighter_than_air/Balloons_and_Space/LTA17.htm

Answer 2

Ride in it, skydive from it, you name it, it's been done.

Of course, one of the problems is that the more weight you add to one of those baloons, the less altitude you can reach, so unmanned balloons can go significantly higher.

Temperatures are much lower than here at ground level.

The world's lowest recorded temperature was recorded in a high-altitude weather baloon over Antarctica. The temperatures above the equator aren't that much closer to being above the freezing point of H2O, either, though, so it would be not just cold but VERY cold.

And of course, the higher up you go, the less air pressure there is. Without a synthetic pressure system, you would lose consciousness long before you ever reached the highest you could go, and could die, so it's dangerous in that respect, as well.

The skydiver in this article: http://www.cnn.com/2006/TECH/space/07/14/space.diver/index.html seemed to think that he could survive a 130,000 foot dive in that suit he's seen wearing.

Answer 3

113,740 feet high enough for you? That's almost 22 miles.

Basically, they'd need a space suit, or something similar. The cold and very low air pressure would kill them otherwise.

There was one test done early in the space program where they set both a height and freefall record. The pilot rode the balloon to well over 100,000 feet, then stepped off and had something like a 10 minute freefall before he opened his parachute. At that height, I think I remember that the air density was so thin that he could fall faster than the speed of sound. He was the only man to break the sound barrier without an airplane.

Answer 4

It relies upon on what you're donning. actually. Freefall is primary to be between ninety and one hundred MPH. quickest counseled bailout from protection rigidity plane without ejection seats is approximately 250 knots. With a sturdy seat, severe speed ejections nevertheless reason flail injuries. (mach .6 and above). Ejections in a tablet (unsure how lots of htose are left) are very survivable supersonic.

Answer 5

Yes. It was done several times by joseph kittenger. Project Excelsior, and Project stargazer were 2 of the many tests.

Answer 6

Well how do you think people walked on the moon or in space. Also people have gone up there in the 50's and parachuted down.

Answer 7

Not pass the altitude of eleven-thousand feet in the air. I guess.

Answer 8

It's been done in a pressurized gondola, and the gentleman parachuted out from the very edge of our atmosphere and survived.

Answer 9

It was already done. The record for a manned balloon is almost 114,000 feet.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_balloon_altitude_records

Answer 10

DO YOU EVERY WATCH THE MYTH BUSTERS??? well yes the show is usally on at 9:00 pm am wensday ! check it out ... well yea the did that and he got 75 feet !!! but he could of went high but he was kind of drunk?!!!?