La Luz man plays integral role in 23-mile high skydive - Alamogordo Daily News [fornadablog.blogspot.com]
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[fornadablog.blogspot.com], La Luz man plays integral role in 23-mile high skydive - Alamogordo Daily News
Ed Coca, balloon launch director, ensures the Red Bull Stratos balloon that will carry skydiver Felix Baumgartner to his record-breaking high-altitude jump is flight-ready before official launch.
Two generations after Edward Dittmer's work with Joe Kittinger in setting the world record for highest skydive (102,800 feet) in 1960, another member of the family is lending a hand toward breaking that record.
Ed Coca, of La Luz, who is married to Dittmer's granddaughter Sheila, is also working with Kittinger as balloon launch director for the Red Bull Stratos project that will see Felix Baumgartner attempt to break the record with a skydive from 120,000 feet.
Baumgartner's jump was supposed to take place on Monday in Roswell, but Red Bull Stratos announced Friday that they had postponed it until Tuesday because of an expected cold front with gusty winds. The jump can only be made if winds on the ground are under 2 mph for the initial launch of the balloon that will carry Baumgartner 23 miles above southeastern New Mexico.
It is Coca's job to call for the final release that will send Baumgartner to 120,000 feet in his bid to surpass three records: highest parachute jump; longest parachute freefall; and man exceeding the speed of sound without an aircraft or space vehicle. These records, set on Aug. 16, 1960, by Kittinger as part of Project Excelsior, ensured his integral role on the Red Bull Stratos team.
As "capcom" (capsule communications), Coca is the primary person who will be in constant radio contact with Baumgartner during the balloon ascent.
Following two unmanned tests, Red Bull Stratos has tested two flights manned by Baumgartner. The first, on March 15,
reached an altitude of 71,615 feet. The second, on July 25, was at 97,145 feet when Baumgartner left the capsule.Since retirement from the Air Force in 2005, Coca, who is on loan to the Red Bull Stratos project, has been crew chief for ATA Aerospace High-Altitude Balloon Projects at Holloman Air Force Base. ATA supports scientific projects with customers such as the U.S. Army, Navy and Los Alamos National Laboratory.
"We are the only Department of Defense group that does this," said Coca, who has worked with many balloons during his career. "This is the biggest balloon I've ever done."
At launch of Tuesday's expected flight, the balloon made of high performance polyethylene film -- likened to a 40-acre "dry cleaner bag" -- and the capsule, in which Baumgartner will ride to altitude, will stand taller than Seattle's Space Needle.
Coca supervises balloon inflation, capsule release and is responsible for the integrity of the balloon and all equipment related to the launch. He is also responsible for making critical calculations, such as the amount of helium that will be needed to get the balloon to the projected altitude.
Coca tells the driver of the crane launch vehicle whether to speed up or slow down based on the rise of the balloon. At a point it is 10 degrees off vertical, he will signal the release of the capsule. After that, mission control personnel take over.
"My favorite part of the job is seeing that balloon go up," Coca said. "When it's up and climbing, I just have to clean up and go."
Both Dittmer and Coca have worked closely with Kittinger.
"I was with Joe when he got his balloon pilot's license," said Dittmer, noting their longtime friendship.
Kittinger and Dittmer were both assigned to the space biology branch of Holloman Aeromed Lab during the training and testing of the astrochimps Ham and Enos. Prior to that, Dittmer was responsible for connecting medical devices to Kittinger that monitored physiological responses. He was also responsible for helping the pilot into -- and testing of -- the pressurized suit worn in Manhigh I, Kittinger's balloon flight from South St. Paul, Minn., on June 2, 1957.
Coca said that Kittinger is "very meticulous in crunching numbers and he double checks everything," even though Coca has run the numbers 10 times before Joe sees them. During missions, Coca has made real-time decisions based on current conditions and has found himself explaining his actions to Kittinger. Through this, Cocao said they each have developed a mutual respect for each other's expertise.
"I respect him for what he's done and been through," Coca said.
For more information about Red Bull Stratos and the countdown to launch, visit www.redbullstratos.com.
Carolyn Dittmer is an Alamogordo based freelance writer. She may be contacted at edcarta.dittmer@gmail.com.
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