Skydiving Research Adds To Safety



In the 50 years since parachuting became a popular sport with the public, a lot of research has been done to fine tune the equipment. From the shape and size of the chute to the way the rip cord opens the parachute pack, much of this study has been focused on allowing people to skydive more safely. For the serious skydiver every jump can be the source of research to improve the sport.

It has been nearly 50 years since a man rode a hot-air balloon more than 100,000 feet into the air, taking about 90 minutes to make the vertical trip. In a special suit, this fellow left the balloon gondola and descended 20 miles to the earth in just over four minutes. Records based on thousands of jumps show that, in the thin atmosphere, Capt. Joe Kittinger of the United States Air Force probably reached free fall speeds of 700 miles per hour.

While this is an extreme example, skydiving and parachuting has long been a great source of information about what the human body can do under certain conditions, how freefalling objects react in the atmosphere and much more. The record number of parachute descents in a day still stands at 640. One person has recorded more than 36,000 jumps. But the research goes on to this day, contributing to the development of safety equipment, fire-fighting equipment and medical uses for skydiving and parachuting.

Better Equipment From Research

Of course, the more daring and creative among human beings believe that the science of a skydive can be extended to a jump from outer space, though this would probably be a deadly action for the individual without some serious fire protection. The speed at which the re-entry would occur would probably burn the person to death. Yet there is much more practical research going on, including development of more accurate altimeters, new ways of measuring and reading altitude, temperature, heart rate and so on. Parachute shapes have changed quite a bit over the years, primarily due to reports from skydivers who felt new shapes and fabric weights would make the slow descent and landing easier to control. As this research adds to the safety of the sport, more and more people will be enticed to skydive.

So, if someone has ever thought about taking up this breathtaking sport, past experience and research has made skydiving as safe and enjoyable as ever.