Menlo News December 31, 2014

Free Falling

?Coat of Arms? writer Denna Nazem reports on Menlo dad Alan Eustace’s free-fall parachute jump from space.
Alan Eustace ascends for his free-fall jump

Menlo Dad Breaks World Record Free Falling from Edge of Space
by Coat of Arms staff writer Denna Nazem ’16

Never before has a Menlo dad done something so out of this world… literally.

On Oct. 24, Google executive and freshman dad Alan Eustace broke the world record for the highest free-fall parachute jump, surpassing Felix Baumgartner’s highly publicized jump in 2012. Eustace took a helium balloon up 26 miles and free-fell at 826 miles an hour, landing safely 15 minutes later.

Gathering his inspiration from his love for scuba diving, Eustace started working on the idea about four years before he took the helium balloon to the edge of space. “Scuba diving gives you the freedom to explore under the water, and I wanted to investigate whether you could get the same level of independence for the stratosphere,” Eustace said. After at least a year of research, he determined that his dream was feasible, and started to discuss with experts in the field to confirm his analysis.

Eustace emphasized that assembling the right team was the most important part of his preparation. “I needed experts in balloons, balloon launch systems, parachute systems, space suits, environmental systems, meteorology, telemetry, communication, etc.,” Eustace said. “Once you have the team, you have hundreds of tests, starting from small components, like oxygen regulators, and use those parts to build up and test complete systems.” The multiple year long preparation culminated in both unmanned and manned tests in order to insure the safety conditions.

As the date of the jump neared, Eustace did not develop any fears as one might have expected. Completely convinced that he and his team had done all the engineering and testing necessary to show that the system was completely safe, he was ready for his record-breaking jump. “During the jump, I was not afraid, but I was completely focused,” Eustace said. “My job was to fly the system, and as a pilot, I concentrated on doing the best job I possibly could at that task.”

Eustace’s two-hour ascent and 15-minute descent was unlike anything he, or really anyone else, had ever seen before. “The ascent was completely serene,” Eustace said. “The only sound was of the regulators, giving me oxygen with each breath. Otherwise, total silence, except for an occasional radio call. It was magical. After about 70,000 feet you see the darkness of space, and the curvature of the earth, and the layers in the atmosphere. It is a wondrous site.” After cutting loose from his helium balloon that aided his ascent to a record-breaking height of 135,908 feet, Eustace began his 15-minute descent that ended safely in a farmer’s field. “Landing was special because I got out of a very uncomfortable suit that I’d been in for 6 hours, but most importantly, I was reunited with my team, and got to share the success with them,” Eustace said.

Eustace appreciated the unconditional support his family gave him. “I would like to thank my wife Kathy and my daughters Katelyn and Emily for allowing me to experience this opportunity. It was very hard on them, and no amount of engineering discussion could convince them that it was completely safe. They just knew that solving problems at this scale with a great team made me happy, and in the end that was good enough for them,” Eustace said.

Eustace’s successful free-fall broke world records as well as pioneered space engineering for those who dare to challenge his record.