To boldly go how no man has gone before
Sometimes, amid the smallness and caution that our politics often is, it’s worth stepping back in amazement at something big and daring that a fellow human being has done. From the New York Times’ write-up of one of the more incredible things anyone has done in a long, long time:
ROSWELL, N.M. — A man fell to Earth from more than 24 miles high Sunday, becoming the first human to break the sound barrier under his own power — with some help from gravity.
The man, Felix Baumgartner, an Austrian daredevil, made the highest and fastest jump in history after ascending by a helium balloon to an altitude of 128,100 feet. As millions around the world experienced the vertiginous view from his capsule’s camera, which showed a round blue world surrounded by the black of space, he stepped off into the void and plummeted for more than four minutes, reaching a maximum speed measured at 833.9 miles per hour, or Mach 1.24.
He broke altitude and speed records set half a century ago by Joe Kittinger, now 84, a retired Air Force colonel whose reassuring voice from mission control guided Mr. Baumgartner through tense moments.
Think about sitting, truly, on top of the world and then jumping out of the vessel that carried you there, toward the unforgiving earth that makes people think twice about leaping from one-one hundredth of one-one hundredth of that height.
There may or may not be anything to come out of it that materially benefits mankind — the Times’ story mentions a spacesuit and information that could help future space tourists who have to abandon ship. But there’s something to be said, and marveled at, about such an unprecedented feat of human bravery.
Would that our politicians had the guts of Felix Baumgartner.
– By Kyle Wingfield
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149 comments Add your comment
Gravy Train
October 15th, 2012
2:34 pm
Kyle, there you are! Still not brave enough to take a stab at my question? How much do lap dogs get these days? Is it from KochPac or directly from the LDS?
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
October 15th, 2012
2:35 pm
“I think President Obama tricked me into voting for him,” Low continued in an impromptu discussion that could have doubled as a Romney ad. “I feel like he lied to me. He made promises he couldn’t keep. He played on my young emotions. He played on me because I was young and naïve. I didn’t know anything about the world. I believed that he was going to give us a change. I just feel like he made a lot of promises — there’s no way he followed through with them. I haven’t seen any change. I’ve seen change for the worse, not change for the better. So I hope Mitt Romney can carry us through the next four years.”
We’re getting ready to throw obozo out of his capsule.
With a golden parachute, of course.
JDW
October 15th, 2012
2:35 pm
@Bruno…”Why don’t we start with Thomas Edison, then. I’d say the phonograph, light bulb, and motion pictures have a significant impact on our lives today.”
OOOOOOOOO Gooooooooody lets…especially since I am really familiar with GE today.
EVERYTHING GE does has been and continues to be HEAVILY IMPACTED and aided by the government. Who was it the built the system that powers the lights that Thomas Edision invented. Why the government of course.
You could not have picked a more obvious example of a company that has benefited from government infrastructure over the years.
sailfish
October 15th, 2012
2:39 pm
“So I hope Mitt Romney can carry us through the next four years.”
Well, if you are a millionaire or billionaire, we know that will be true but if you are middle class (47%) or lower, head for the hills because romney will not be doing squat for you.
Gravy Train
October 15th, 2012
2:40 pm
Yes, private industry is so concerned with consumer safety that it didn’t take a federal law requiring seat belts in automobiles?
Gravy Train
October 15th, 2012
2:41 pm
The government didn’t fund research for the internet and cellular phones? Is this more GOP revisionist history?
Gravy Train
October 15th, 2012
2:44 pm
The government didn’t build our roads and highways? They didn’t invest in the rail system?
JDW
October 15th, 2012
2:44 pm
@Bruno…you really do live in an alternate reality don’t your. Your list boils down to Electricity, Computing, Flight and Xrays. You do realize that Government created and continues to manage the infrastructure the MAKES EVERYONE OF THEM AN INDUSTRY don’t you?
Gravy Train
October 15th, 2012
2:45 pm
The government doesn’t fund our military, police or fire departments? What about our schools?
getalife
October 15th, 2012
3:46 pm
“I think I am done” mit er Felix.
Kyle,
Name one gop house bill to help a middle class American.
md
October 15th, 2012
3:48 pm
Gravy……all I see is what you believe to be true, no evidence that shows them to be wrong……so why is your belief more right than their belief??
getalife
October 15th, 2012
3:48 pm
“With a golden parachute, of course”
Wealth envy.
They screw up in their second term so it would help his legacy but he will win.
md
October 15th, 2012
3:53 pm
“The government didn’t build our roads and highways? They didn’t invest in the rail system?
“The government doesn’t fund our military, police or fire departments? What about our schools?”
And I’ll ask it again, where does the gov’t get it’s money?
You folks seem totally cluless that those evil corporations must generate all the capital to run our system…….the gov’t can only “fund” services/programs AFTER the privates sector generates the money to pay for them…….OR, that gov’t can borrow 16 Trillion dollars to fund it…….which becomes an account payable down the road on the backs of those same corporations……..
getalife
October 15th, 2012
3:55 pm
The gop cut State funding to protect our embassies and looking for blame.
Start with the gop cutting their funding.
Our President will blast mitt on Libya because he freaked out and called our President a “terrorist sympathizer” and played politics while real Americans united with our President to show patriotism to get the real terrorists.
Then the gop political hearing outed a CIA building and had to shut down the hearing.
I demand issa’s head to roll.
md
October 15th, 2012
3:59 pm
So get, are you saying this admin didn’t know how to allocate resources on hand?? That funding played no part in this fiasco, but it makes for a good talking point. The extra security was actually already in Libya when the request was made for more security…….Lamb said no and it pulled out prior to this cluster…..
ld
October 15th, 2012
4:11 pm
Unbungie jumping for thrill seekers?
Aside from its effect on the human body itself, what data did this leap provide that could not have been provided by dropping just equipment? This seems to come under the heading of why climb the mountain after you already know whats atop it — because it’s there.
ld
October 15th, 2012
4:14 pm
Speaking of jumping, and since I see this column’s comments have already “gone political”, I’d like to contribute as well. I just read a piece written about jumping off the the economic fiscal cliff in january.
http://nymag.com/news/politics/elections-2012/obama-romney-economic-plans-2012-10/.
JDW
October 15th, 2012
4:14 pm
@MD…”And I’ll ask it again, where does the gov’t get it’s money?”
The insinuation is true to a point but you might as well ask something like…where does the automobile get its roads. Fact is government serves as an aggregator to fund projects which are of value to people and businesses but are too large to be undertaken by a single entity. At the same time government becomes the single largest CUSTOMER of many corporations thereby creating velocity of those tax dollars.
You seem totally clueless that large swaths of a modern economy are simply impossible without effective government. It is a symbiotic relationship. You can’t kill one without killing the other.
The other part you completely miss is this…
“the gov’t can only “fund” services/programs AFTER the privates sector generates the money to pay for them”
See that’s not really true. Today government can fund programs and services BEFORE they are created and use the proceeds from that investment to repay the loan….the account payable is incurred by those that benefit.
ld
October 15th, 2012
4:22 pm
JDW
The government prints “money” and lends it to private bankers — who own the Fed — via the fed, often at zero percent, who then lend it to the wealthiest among us and their hedge funds and businesses at a small markup and, sometimes, lend it to consumers at a much larger markup — percentages that once would have been consider usuary — making most of us indentured servants and/or sharecropers for the bankers.
Understand now?
md
October 15th, 2012
4:22 pm
“You seem totally clueless that large swaths of a modern economy are simply impossible without effective government. It is a symbiotic relationship. You can’t kill one without killing the other. ”
NOTHING is impossible if the gov’t is able to do it. Private groups are funding/building/maintaining roads and subdivisions all across this country, to say it can only be done by gov’t is foolish at best.
“See that’s not really true. Today government can fund programs and services BEFORE they are created and use the proceeds from that investment to repay the loan….the account payable is incurred by those that benefit.”
And if there are no proceeds? That is where your gov’t spend first ideology goes off the tracks…..and why Japan has a 200% debt to gdp ratio…….and why Greece is now digging into the German piggy bank………
That is a risky gamble that may or may not pay off……..I would not advise folks to go buy lottery tickets on the credit card in hopes of winning so they can pay the credit card bill……….
Dusty
October 15th, 2012
4:47 pm
Oh well heck!! Kyle can even make a column on the bravery of a man who jumped from unbelievable heights without Gravy, JDW, and getalife sounding off like a bunch of liberal flunkies. They are eiither paid propaganda people or really want the government to run everything. I mean everything.
I am sick of hearing about underwear,” my illustrious past ;positions”, Bush blame (for Obama’s mistakes), “cons”, no middle class, the greedy “rich”,and directed propaganda no matter what subject Kyle introduces.
I know. Free speech! If;you don’t like it, leave it! All that good stuff. Ignore the brain dead and speak about the subject de jour. Tis true! But I get tired of these same “junk” comments every day. Can’t these flunkies at least be original? Is that asking too much?
OK…I feel better. Now where were we??????? One hundred thousand feet? , .
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right
October 15th, 2012
4:47 pm
Why is it that getalife is the only person still believing that lie about the GOP cutting funding?
md
October 15th, 2012
4:57 pm
For getalife and any others that want to make this about budget cuts:
” “It has been suggested that budget cuts are responsible for a lack of security in Benghazi, and I’d like to ask Miss Lamb,” said Representative Dana Rohrabacher (R., Calif.). “You made this decision personally. Was there any budget consideration and lack of budget which lead you not to increase the number of people in the security force there?”
“No, sir,” said Lamb.”
Tiberius - pulling the tail of the left AND right
October 15th, 2012
5:07 pm
Maybe it’s an obvious question to me, but I wonder:
How deep a crater would this guy have made if his chute hadn’t opened. . .?
Just wondering out loud. . .
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
October 15th, 2012
5:33 pm
Just assume that NASA saw some usefulness in this jump and took it over. How many millions, or should I say billions would they have spent, engineering/designing the suit, testing the fabric, designing/engineering the parachutes, doing an environmental impact statement on the landing area, designing the exit door, ad infinitum and how long would all this take to transpire, years I’m betting.
JDW, there were lots of Red Bull employees in the monitoring station, so I assume there were some jobs added, though they maybe temporary, they help Obama’s employment numbers. Have you worked this month, yes, one day for Red Bull, well another job created.
Can you imagine if this guy was wearing a wind turbine, generating electricity as he fell from space. Probably would have generated enough to run Barry’s teleprompter for 6 months.
East Cobb RINO, Inc (LLC)
October 15th, 2012
5:35 pm
To boldly go how no man has gone before
I thought maybe someone sat on the throne facing the wall.
JDW
October 15th, 2012
5:41 pm
@md…”Private groups are funding/building/maintaining roads and subdivisions all across this country”
Come on…they are doing that at the behest of and as subcontractors to the government in question. It is still a government sponsered enterprise and in many cases government is actually fronting the money.
“And if there are no proceeds?” You might find that to be true on small scale cases but on average that’s a phobia not a concern. As for Japan, that is a very unique situation exacerbated by lots of issues that are not germane to the US.
JDW
October 15th, 2012
5:43 pm
@Rafe…”Can you imagine if this guy was wearing a wind turbine, generating electricity as he fell from space.”
Now that is an image…I will run it by a wind engineer and see if thats a potential market!
Thulsa Doom
October 15th, 2012
5:47 pm
“head for the hills because romney will not be doing squat for you.”
Well now that pretty much is typical of the difference between a con and a lib. You expect and want someone in govt to “do something for you”. I just want them to stay the hell out of my way and keep big govt out of my way.
jconservative
October 15th, 2012
5:56 pm
“…a tie nationally and a statistical tie in pretty much all the swing states.”
And as we learned in the 2000 election, “it’s the Electoral College stupid!”.
This, like the 2000 race, is a particularly interesting election.
It is to early to make 3 figure bets.
Hillbilly D
October 15th, 2012
7:06 pm
”Can you imagine if this guy was wearing a wind turbine, generating electricity as he fell from space.”
The cost of the drop cords probably would have put ol’ Felix over budget.
“head for the hills …….
Don’t do that; there’s too damn many people up here already. Not to mention it’s the beginning of leaf-looker season.
Politcal
October 15th, 2012
7:11 pm
Dusty
No need to cry for the same exact thing you do. It isn’t exactly like you are the end all of end all with your right wing talking points and SAME OLE tired opinions. Originality is no more your claim to fame in terms of politics as it is the ones you cry about
Politcal
October 15th, 2012
7:12 pm
“How deep a crater would this guy have made if his chute hadn’t opened. . .?”
Wouldn’t want that to occur, but that is an interesting question.
I Report (-: You Whine )-: mmm, mmmm, mmmmm! Just sayin...
October 15th, 2012
7:28 pm
Now if obozo will fill up a balloon with all his hot air and float away….then we could all marvel.
Del
October 15th, 2012
7:49 pm
What looked like just a few weeks ago as as a probable Obama win now looks highly questionable.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
October 15th, 2012
7:49 pm
Political
You might could make a point about many of us arguing the same things everyday, but not Dusty. Dusty is full of originality and wit. You never know what her posts are going to be about and they are a good read.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
October 15th, 2012
7:51 pm
Obama win now looks highly questionable.
Del, we can only hope our long national nightmare is coming to an end.
Politcal
October 15th, 2012
7:52 pm
Rafe
Been reading them. Some good poems at times, but her politics are as mundane and typical as any on here, regardless of the political slant.
Politcal
October 15th, 2012
7:55 pm
Rafe
My point is that when she goes off on someone, it is usually a blogger that doesn’t meet her political ideology and her posts are as whiny as those she calls out.
Pretty funny to be honest. Some people never can tell when they are the pot calling the kettle black.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
October 15th, 2012
7:57 pm
Hillary is taking full responsibility for the Libya fiasco (taking a fall for Obama), but Obama insists he killed Osama. He gets credit for things that go right in his regime and allows others to take the fall for the failures. Obama is the kinda guy we all have experienced in our employment career, and one that is universally hated by all subordinates.
Del
October 15th, 2012
7:59 pm
Rafe,
After tomorrow evenings debate I may be able to project a winner, however, I won’t publicly announce it because the Irish in me wouldn’t want to jinx a Romney win. Having said that I will predict much crying and gnashing of teeth November 7th. on the neighboring AJC blog.
Politcal
October 15th, 2012
8:00 pm
Del
Make the prediction man.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
October 15th, 2012
8:02 pm
Political
Yep, we all sound the same notes. When you have firm convictions it is hard to come up with original ways of making your points. Don’t know what the point is other than just pure enjoyment, as I read today that only 25% of people ever read a newspaper. Don’t know how few of those read the electronic version, probably much fewer.
Politcal
October 15th, 2012
8:03 pm
Rafe
I wouldn’t doubt if the 25% is the total number for both the paper and electronic version, but that is just a guess.
Rafe Hollister, suffering through Oblamer's ineptocracy
October 15th, 2012
8:09 pm
High stakes, Del, there is going to be crying and gnashing of teeth either way. I will be spending my time help protect my kids savings and future if Obama is reinstalled. I think if it remains this close, Romney wins, as the folks tend to pull the lever for the challenger, if they get to the polls and still haven’t decided.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
October 15th, 2012
8:21 pm
Private sector, my eye. He couldn’t have done it had not the FAA first approved it.
Politcal
October 15th, 2012
8:24 pm
Del
You are on record for calling out others if Obama loses. Don’t come with excuses and crying like a baby if he wins.
Rafe is correct. Their will be gnashing of teeth either way.
Going to be close. We either get the clown we already have or a new clown. Either way, it will be a circus.
VOTE 3rd Party.
Lil' Barry Bailout - Vote American
October 15th, 2012
8:34 pm
Obozo would prefer you vote 3rd party instead of voting American.
Gravy Train
October 15th, 2012
8:35 pm
Rafe, I thought you said your kid was a short order cook with a useless degree? Probably better vote for the guy who will make it easier to go back to school and get a job where he can afford to get out of your trailer, let alone save money.
Politcal
October 15th, 2012
8:37 pm
Lil Barry
Guess you are as brainwashed as any one who votes Democrat.
You are two peas on a pod. Funny that you do nothing but play a macaw for the Republicans, yet laugh at the Democrats for doing the same.