The Expo Jump
Following in the grand Holdsman tradition of extreme sports, The Expo Jump denotes the skydiving course that passes from the inflection layer over the Craterhold Innovation Expo Park, straight down through the commissure leading to Eastern E, and as high into the sky thereafter before returning to terra firma.
Execution
There are four grades of The Expo Drop based on where the jumper ends their attempt:
- Freefall: Making the Freefall grade simply requires surviving the jump from the inflection layer to any point at or near the Park. The most common kind of skydiving over the Expo, Freefall-grade jumps are only nebulously associated to true Expo Jump attempts due to their location - many would argue that a true Expo Jump requires an actual transit of the commissure, making the Stratus-grade Jump the first grade on a technical level.
- Stratus: Making the Stratus grade requires successfully diving from the inflection layer into the commissure. Momentum then carries the jumper past the micro-gravity region and into the air on the Dorsal end of the transit. Then, after reaching a peak in their 'fall' on the Dorsal side, the jumper deploys a parachute and returns safely to the ground. A jumper's position within this grade is determined by the height of their ultimate apoapsis. The commissure itself is usually relatively clear of traffic, being serviced primarily by a commissure transit station in lieu of a skystation, but adjustments during freefall with a Calliope (see Components & Tools) must still be consciously be made to avoid collisions with unexpected debris or terrain outcroppings. The level of skill required to accomplish this feat has limited the number of Stratus-grade jumpers to around twenty individuals.
- Magnus: To make the Magnus grade, a jumper must start by making a Stratus-grade jump. Then, when the jumper would normally land, they then thread back into the commissure below to repeat the process, shooting back out into Eastern A. This is repeated until the jumper either comes to a rest in the commissure to be picked up later by spotters in a recovery liftcoach or airship , or abort by deploying their parachute and landing on solid ground. In theory, Magnus-grade jumpers would be rated based on how many times they passed through the commissure. In practice, however, the only Magnus-grade jumper in the Manifold Sky - Craterhold's own fearless radio personality, Roderick "Rod" Radboltzen - set the ultimate standard by successfully coming to a rest in the commissure.
- Cosmos: As-of-yet unaccomplished, a Cosmos-grade jump would involve coming through the commissure so fast that one enters the inflection layer on the Dorsal-associated side. Normally, even with the increased terminal velocity of a pressurized auto-armor suit (see Components & Tools) or a launch boost at the jump's start, air resistance will prevent the jumper from making the next inflection layer. Difficulties include the requirement for a man-portable propulsion bus as well as the preparation reqired on the part of spotters to recover the jumper either in the inflection layer or somewhere on Dorsal C.
Components and tools
An Expo Jump attempt involves contending with fluctuations in gravity and air pressure, high speeds (including potential collisions with debris in transit), and air navigation challenges. As such, the Jump is generally attempted in specially-designed Experimental-class auto-armor. A "Calliope" micro-gravity maneuver pack is useful because it allows the jumper to initiate the jump from almost anywhere in the inflection layer; without a 'nudge,' objects in the layer are metastable and simply fall towards the nearest face in an uncontrolled manner. The weight of the auto-armor has the added benefit of increasing the jumper's terminal velocity, allowing for ever-greater leaps into the air when the jumper successfully crosses the commissure.
Participants
Every aspiring Expo Jumper is backed by a dedicated team of pilots to ferry the jumper around, Navigator's Guild contractors to talk the jumper through aerial maneuvers, auto-armor technicians, government observers, and advertising promoters. A successful jump requires funding, physical preparation, and outreach to local air traffic control.
The jumpers themselves are often wealthy eccentrics and thrillseekers, though attempts at various grades of the Expo Jump have been made in the name of scientific inquiry or military auto-armor development. Research and development for cutting-edge drop pods occurs among the Coalition Defense Forces with the Freefall (and, possibly soon, the Stratus) Jump as a final proving ground.
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