To reach the Stratosphere, Cheryl Stearns will pilot a specially built helium balloon. It will take her approximately 2 1⁄2 hours to reach her target altitude, at which point she will detach her external life support systems and leap into the near-vacuum of the Stratosphere. During Cheryl’s free fall, she must keep her body in a 70 degree head-down attitude. This will put her in a stabilized position, which she will maintain until she assumes a more normal face-to-earth skydiving position at around 60,000 feet Above Ground Level (AGL). Her descent will take approximately 4 minutes. At 7,000 feet AGL, Cheryl will deploy her parachute and if navigation calculations, atmospheric, wind, & equipment conditions all cooperate, steer herself to a designated landing zone.

Cheryl’s balloon will be built of polyethylene film, only a few microns thick. Inflated, it will measure around 300 feet tall and 300 feet in circumference. Once Cheryl exits the gondola, the balloon will be released and return to earth. Meanwhile, the gondola’s drogue will deploy for stabilization as it drops to 15,000 feet. At this point, its canopy opens and the gondola will be directed to a landing area via a remote control system. The open gondola will be constructed mostly of aluminum. The fabrication is relatively simple, but communications, monitoring and tracking instruments, plus life support systems must be built, tested, and installed.

Cheryl will be piloting the balloon, operating the systems, and jumping while wearing a pressurized space suit. In addition to providing life support (pressurization, insulation, & oxygen), it will also protect against radiation and is similar to those worn by astronauts. The suit must be strong enough to contain the pressurization, resist buffeting, impacts, and extreme temperatures. It must also be flexible enough for her to control her body movements during free fall and landing. Her helmet will have a built-in heads-up-display (HUD) so she will know her altitude, attitude (head-down), and orientation. A GPS will provide Cheryl with her location and will also transmit her location via satellite to tracking aircraft and chase vehicles.

	When it is time for Cheryl to deploy her parachute, she will be using a special Quasar rig, created by Strong Enterprises in Orlando, Florida. It is composed of a harness, main parachute and a reserve parachute. Since Cheryl will be much heavier wearing her pressure suit than an average skydiver, she will require a bigger parachute. Her parachute covers 330 sq. ft. versus an average parachute of 120 sq. ft. From an opening altitude of 7,000 ft AGL, Cheryl will spend approximately 5 minutes steering her canopy to the Landing Zone, before touching down on terra firma.
Cheryl Stearns with Ted Strong and the Quasar rig.