Administrators daredevil Posted October 9, 2012 Administrators Share Posted October 9, 2012 LOS ANGELES -- Teetering 23 miles above the New Mexico desert, Felix Baumgartner plans a colossal jump to become the first free-falling human to break the sound barrier as he plummets to Earth. http://www.youtube.com/user/redbull?v=vkJ5ItzEq3M The feat, which will put his life on the line and push his body to the limit, is to take place shortly after dawn Tuesday when he falls from 120,000 feet in the air -- nearly 23 miles. Wearing a newly designed pressurized suit and helmet, the native of Austria will test the threshold of his equipment as scientists, aerospace engineers, the Air Force and NASA study what his fall shows about the limits and capabilities of the human body bailing out of an aircraft at ultra-high altitudes. After several years of preparation and test jumps, Baumgartner, 43, is ready. "I feel like a tiger in a cage waiting to get out," he said last week. The jump is an effort to break a free-fall world record of more than 19 miles, or 102,800 feet, set by Air Force test pilot Joe Kittinger in 1960. The endeavor, called Stratos, is funded by the energy drink company Red Bull. The company has paid millions of dollars to aerospace companies in southern California to pull it off, but it won't say how much. Clearly, Red Bull has things in mind besides scientific breakthroughs. The mission involves two dozen cameras to catch the action and deliver live Web streams. The company and mission organizers reject talk of the event being done solely for publicity. "This is a flight test program, not a stunt," said Art Thompson, technical project director for the mission. The Air Force, emphasizing that it is not a sponsor of the event, acknowledges that the mission is important to the military. "The information gathered through biometric data and performance under sustained atmospheric stress may lend lessons to engineering and development of future aircrew flight equipment and escape systems," said Lt. Col. Andrew Woodrow, a physiology officer at Randolph Air Force Base near San Antonio. Baumgartner will be carried skyward inside a pressurized capsule suspended from the largest balloon ever used in a manned flight. The pressurized capsule, weighing 2,900 pounds -- a little more than a small car -- will be carried by a massive, helium-filled balloon to an altitude of 23 miles near Roswell, N.M. The trip will take up to three hours, and temperatures will fall as low as 70 below. Source: http://fearless-assa...nd-in-freefall/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFighter Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 He better drink a red bull before flying back to earth : / Cool video through Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubbi Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Today's mission aborted due to gusty winds They hope that the wind will go down until tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scream Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Yeah that was a disappointment... Let's hope they'll do it tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiNoY Posted October 9, 2012 Share Posted October 9, 2012 Million views not reached yet, postponed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timminator Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 So let's see how hes doin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DFighter Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 he know is almost 39 km above earth surface Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PiNoY Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 Youtube broken link but I think he's now 100,000+ above earthlings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GRANNY. aka BONAMANA Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 He made it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gubbi Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 It was a nice jump. Well done. That guy has no fear of height, that's for sure. Especially the moment he started to jump was very impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch11m33y aka. ChiLLy<3 Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 he jumped from about 39km top speed over 1200km/h in freefall, free fall took about 4min 20 secs, GGwp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiirby Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 This jump was probably one of the coolest things I've watched. Bravo Felix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuCkY*13 Posted October 14, 2012 Share Posted October 14, 2012 (edited) Landing image..of this great Jump here is the Video....Amaizing Speed http://gizmodo.com/5951621/Watch%20the%20Space%20Daredevil%20Jumping%20Off%20His%20Capsule%20Here Edited October 14, 2012 by LuCkY13** Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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