Q: Can you tell me what happened to the balloon and capsule used to lift Felix Baumgartner to his record height of 24 miles and subsequent descent?
— Jim Pursley, Hartwell
A: After Baumgartner landed on Oct. 14, the Red Bull Stratos mission control team remotely triggered a release that separated the capsule from the balloon, sending both back to Earth, according to www.redbullstratos.com. The capsule's parachute deployed to a programmed smaller circumference that allowed it to fall about 2,000 feet a minute before opening to its full width at 20,000 feet, slowing the descent. It landed in the desert, about 55 miles east of the launch site in Roswell, N.M. The balloon was designed with a tearaway panel that when opened, allowed the helium to escape and send the balloon back to Earth. It landed about 15 minutes after the capsule, seven miles away.
Q: I have noticed that the new toilets in stores use 1.28 gallons per flush, and none offers 1.6 gallons per flush. Has Georgia instituted new rules that allow low flush volume toilets?
— Leon E. Collins, Stone Mountain
A: Georgia's Water Stewardship Act of 2010 amended the state plumbing code to require high-efficiency fixtures be installed in new construction granted a building permit after July 1, 2012. Toilets, both dual flush and single flush, can't exceed an average of 1.28 gallons per flush, according to the act.
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