Cats free-falling from space

Created by combatcameraman on b3ta. Felix the cat! (Via: crackajack.de. Thanks, Tara McGinley)

Boing Boing editor/partner and tech culture journalist Xeni Jardin hosts and produces Boing Boing's in-flight TV channel on Virgin America airlines (#10 on the dial), and writes about living with breast cancer. Diagnosed in 2011. @xeni on Twitter. email: xeni@boingboing.net.

MORE: animated gifs • cats • Felix Baumgartner • Kitteh • pets • red bull • spaceflight • stratosphere

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http://www.facebook.com/dave.maclachlan.3 Dave MacLachlan

Mach 1.24 Cats! The mice will never hear them coming!
Boundegar

It’s a little-known fact that terminal velocity for a cat is only about 10mph, which is why they gracefully land on their feet. The reason is because their fur gives them an effective fractal surface area of over 38 square miles, which is more than the biggest parachute.
- http://ae4rv.com/ royaltrux
  
  Not at 0.02 Psi.
- http://profile.yahoo.com/GKGCSPJYFDEVQPFXDXT2KAGOJU Anwar
  
  A man with hairy chest will have lower terminal velocity?
  - Aeron
    
    Dwarves make excellent paratroopers.
    - Boundegar
      
      This is true; it also explains why Hobbits fall head-downward.
      - Aeron
        
        I always thought that was because they’re top-heavy.
GawainLavers

I can’t look at the original gif of that cat without giggling.
Adam Holman

This was originally created by combatcameraman on b3ta http://www.b3ta.com/board/10864275
s2redux

Another milestone for my pathetic bucket list — I finally “got the jump on” Xeni posting a cat pic; yay!
PhosPhorious

This gif proves what I have always suspected: the Internet loves us and wants us to be happy.
http://fallsastar.com Crashproof

Felix The Cat?
SomeGuyNamedMark

Why can’t I look at something like this and think “Yes, it needs cats jumping out of it”?
http://www.zazzle.com/InfinitudeTortoises* An Infinitude of Tortoises

In real life, of course, one would want to provide kitty with a pressure suit so it doesn’t freeze/asphyxiate/etc. during the initial phase of the decent — which would then automatically come off to allow kitty to plummet the final 10,000 feet or so au naturale to a softish landing.

Provided, that is, that kitty were dead-set on doing something this crazy!
- http://twitter.com/tudza tudza
  
  A pressure canister would be easier. I’m just imagining the phooom sound of it being launch out of the capsule.
  - CLamb
    
    This brings to mind an interesting question. How does the sensitivity of cats to high altitudes compare to that of humans? I would expect all mammals to be similar.
skeptacally

This is why i no longer feed the neighbourhood cats Red Bull.

Nothing but coffee for those kitties.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100002604154911 Ghasem Yarahmadi

This is REAL but NOT REALITY(REALITY)(AVERGE)(THEY(75%)THEY((((((<DONT),<NO(FEW)(THEY)(ARE
dmc10

$100 says the dude was NOT drinking Red Bull anytime near his jump…
- AnotherBruce
  
  And all those race drivers sponsored by Bud Light probably don’t drink Bud Light during races. So phony….
  - dmc10
    
    LOL, yeah. I could never get over the irony of beer companies sponsoring racing. Plus, I would hope those drives have enough cash to actually buy some GOOD beer. Bud Light… patoeeee!
  - CLamb
    
    I don’t think the Castrol sponsored racers drink that either.
- http://fallsastar.com Crashproof
  
  My guess? It should have been sponsored by Depends.
  - dmc10
    
    Nice!
http://twitter.com/manooshi Manel

Lol. Best GIF, ever.
Over the River

This looks shopped to me.
coolvoodoo

All I know is that I am enjoying watching this while listening to “A Great Canopy of Smoke” by Anduin that was presented a few articles above.
http://thisisonlya.blogspot.com robcat2075

The definitive work on “Falling Cats”

http://youtu.be/kwtKNMAYRag
http://www.facebook.com/farrell.mcgovern Farrell McGovern

Here is the orignal animated GIF of the cat leaping off a balcony ledge for another ledge, and failing…hopefully not falling many stories to it’s death!

http://gifs.gifbin.com/122011/1324316240_cat_jumps_off_balcony_ledge.gif