From over 25 miles in the air

to the Earth, via a parachute.  That's the ride that Alan Eustace, a Google senior VP, took this past Friday, October 24.  For more details, check out this New York Times article or watch this video.



As the article notes, this was not a Google project; Eustace worked with others to make this happen.  Though I'm sure he's enjoying the publicity, and the ride had to be amazing, it seems clear that he did it because somehow he had to, that the idea infected him and he couldn't get rid of it.

That's awesome.  As a lifelong SF fan, I find these sorts of grand gestures and strange actions both beautiful and admirable. 

I've long wanted to take an orbit around the Earth from space.  I would have cashed in a lot of savings to try to buy a seat on Virgin Galactic were it planning to do an orbit, but it's not--and now it's not at all clear that the Richard Branson enterprise will even make anything near its original height goal.  Still, I wish them luck. 

I doubt I'll ever have a chance to go into orbit, but if I did and could at all reasonably afford it, I'd sure try. 

In the meantime, I'll admire the exploits of Eustace and others as they explore the upper reaches of our atmosphere--and beyond.