Briefly set a new record for tallest human-made structure by getting my knit sweater snagged on the skydiving plane door as I jumped and not noticing until I’d landed.
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How big would that sweater have to be?
From what I can find, an average sweater uses between 3-6000 feet of yarn [1]. Apparently an ‘ideal’ altitude for for skydiving is 14000 feet [2]. That puts you around the same altitude as high altitude aerostat radar systems[3]. It would have to be a fairly voluminous sweater, but it’s probably just about within the realms of possibility. It’s chilly at that altitude, so maybe it was made with several layers for extra warmth?
I’m no wool-ologist, and even less of a jumper out of planes, but these were the sources I used to get my figures:
[1] https://www.blackeryarns.co.uk/advice-information/wool-ball-lengths/ [2] https://friendlyskydiver.com/skydiving-altitudes/ [3] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tethered_Aerostat_Radar_System
If an unraveling sweater counts as a “tall structure”, then what about the space tether, where NASA used a 20 km long wire?
The comic lists tall structures existing in this moment. Aside from not starting at ground level, as an experiment, the space tether does not persist until today.
