A Series of Parachute Jumps From Helium Balloons To Save Astronauts!
On a sunny day in August 1960, a fearless US Air Force captain rose nearly 31 kilometers above the ground inside an open gondola attached to an enormous helium balloon. His name was Joseph Kittinger Jr. and his jump was part of Project Excelsior to save the astronauts. Earlier too he did a series of parachute jumps from helium balloons to save astronauts. The researchers developed this project in 1958 to research the maladies of high-altitude escape.
By the decade of 1950, jet aircraft were flying higher and faster. This became very problematic for the US Air Force. High-altitude ejection from the plane placed the flight crews at great risk. The Space Age introduced new challenges for astronauts to escape the atmosphere. The USAF launched Project Excelsior to attain a safe means of high-altitude escape to address these challenges. The project involved Joseph Kittinger Jr. as the test director. Francis Beaupre designed a parachute system that would stabilize pilots who were ejecting at high altitudes. Let’s have a closer look at the details.
Need for Project Excelsior
US Air Force required these jumps using helium balloons, which was undertaken because of increasing hazards from high-altitude flights. With an improved jet aircraft performance and their ability to reach higher and higher altitudes, so were added risks for flight crews in case of ejection. High altitude ejections may result in life-threatening flat spins of up to 200 rpm, which then put crews in dire need of finding a solution for their safety. So jumps were needed from very high altitudes to test the safety
The Space Age further increased the need for safe high-altitude escape methods. Astronauts needed safe and reliable methods to escape while running operations within the atmosphere. Project Excelsior intended to meet such new challenges by coming up with a stabilization system for ejections at high altitudes.
Development of the Parachute System
Francis Beaupre, a technician at Wright Field, developed the Beaupre Multi-Stage Parachute system. This included a stabilizer parachute to prevent uncontrolled spin and tumble. The system automatically opens the stabilizing parachute first, followed by the main parachute at the appropriate times, thereby ensuring a controlled descent for the pilot or astronaut.
Beaupre’s system design was one of the factors in the success of Project Excelsior. It provided a reliable method for the pilots to safely eject at high altitudes. The multistage parachute system solved one of the significant problems experienced with high-altitude ejection.
Balloon Gondola Design and Function
Tests for this new escape system were done with a balloon gondola. The staff at Wright Field had designed and constructed the gondola given resource constraints. This balloon was inflated with almost 3 million cubic feet of helium gas, equal to around 85,000 cubic meters. This gave the open gondola a lift into the stratosphere.
The balloon gondola facilitated tests at the required altitudes for the escape system. It was an essential factor in testing the parachute system that Beaupre had designed. The gondola was designed in such a way that it made sure pilots could safely reach high altitudes for their jumps.
Joseph Kittinger’s Test Jumps to Save Astronauts
Kittinger volunteered in the Air Force in 1949 inspired by the flying aces of World War II and earned his wings the same year. He dreamed of becoming a fighter pilot battling Soviet Yaks in the then-raging Korean War but the fate decided otherwise.
Kittinger carried out three high-altitude parachute jumps from the gondola. The first jump was on November 16, 1959, at 23,300 meters using a helium balloon. On December 11, 1959, he jumped from Excelsior II using a helium balloon at 22,800 meters. Then he prepared for the third and last jump from Excelsior III on August 16, 1960. Despite the experience and the temperature below zero, Kittinger was sweating. “It was the blackest black I’d ever seen. Blacker than ink. And it was morning! The sun was shining, but the sky surrounding it was the color of midnight.” Kittinger says in his 2010 autobiography. As the countdown neared zero Kittinger neared the edge of the gondola, said a brief prayer, and took the plunge.
“It was the blackest black I’d ever seen. Blacker than ink. And it was morning! The sun was shining, but the sky surrounding it was the color of midnight.”
Joseph Kittinger
In free fall with only the stabilizing parachute deployed, he free-fell for 4 minutes 36 seconds. Kittinger reached as low as minus 94°F (-70°C) in temperature and a maximum speed of 714 mph (1,149 kph). At 17,500 feet, the main parachute deployed, and he landed safely. He jumped from nearly 31,300 meters above the ground. Before Yuri Gagarin or Alan Shephard who used rockets to reach the high heavens, Kittinger reached the frontiers of space using technology nearly two centuries old.
Impact and Legacy of Project Excelsior
Project Excelsior accomplished proof of the effectiveness of the new parachute system. The tests proved that it was possible for the system to safely stabilize and control high-altitude egresses. This greatly improved the safety of flight crews flying at high altitudes and astronauts.
The success of the project had a lasting impact in terms of aerospace safety. Not only did it provide a certain methodology for high-altitude escape, but it also influenced future designs of escape systems. What was taught to the world by Project Excelsior became a part of high-altitude safety technology.
Conclusion
Project Excelsior evolved to help bring about vital high-altitude escape solutions. In a unique design and test series, the project emerged with a reliable parachute system. The successful test jumps by Joseph Kittinger Jr. validated the system’s effectiveness. The work of Project Excelsior greatly improved the safety of flight crews at high altitudes and astronauts.
Also read,
