New footage taken from cameras attached to Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner’s body has been released to internet and shows the moment daredevil loses control.
National Geographic and the BBC documented Felix Baumgartner’s 24 mile plunge to Earth using more than 20 cameras.
The previously unseen footage is being crafted into a documentary about the 43-year-old stuntman, titled Space Dive, which is set to air on November 11.
But National Geographic has given a taste of the spectacular 4-minute, 22-second free fall captured by two suit-mounted cameras, in the program’s promotional clip.
The two-minute video captures the moment Felix Baumgartner steps off his space capsule and when he begins spinning dangerously out-of-control during the jump.
In the breathtaking footage, viewers can also see the curvature of the Earth as the skydiver spirals towards the ground.
Finally, Felix Baumgartner releases his parachute and the camera catches the look of relief on his face as he hovers to safety.
The full-length documentary will also include behind-the-scenes footage exploring Felix Baumgartner’s four-year metamorphosis from an elite BASE jumper to an extreme altitude specialist.
Despite his new status as a post-modern space trailblazer, the 43-year-old daredevil had publicly come out against NASA’s much praised Mars exploration project.
New footage taken from cameras attached to Felix Baumgartner’s body shows the moment daredevil loses control
“A lot of guys they are talking about landing on Mars,” Felix Baumgartner said in an interview with The Telegraph.
“Because [they say] it is so important to land on Mars because we would learn a lot more about our planet here, our Earth, by going to Mars which actually makes no sense to me because we know a lot about Earth and we still treat our planet, which is very fragile, in a really bad way.
“So I think we should perhaps spend all the money [which is] going to Mars to learn about Earth. I mean, you cannot send people there because it is just too far away. That little knowledge we get from Mars I don’t think it does make sense.”
Felix Baumgartner also offered some harsh for Sir Richard Branson, the founder and CEO of Virgin Galatic, who hinted that his company could attempt to break the Austrian’s record with a jump from 400,000 feet.
“It sounds like kind of a joke because it looks like he wants to use our positive momentum and gain publicity on his side and that is kind of lame,” Felix Baumgartner said, adding that the idea of someone leaping from 400,000 feet was “completely insane”.
Felix Baumgartner became the first human to break the speed of sound during the jump, reaching a total speed of 833.9 mph.
He also set records for the highest balloon ascent, highest parachute jump and the fastest speed achieved by a human through the atmosphere.
“Felix is an explorer in the truest sense of the word, and National Geographic Channel was honored to be a part of this mission,” said the station’s Michael Cascio.
“And while the project itself is obviously groundbreaking, our exclusive inside access adds unique insight and perspective into this four-year journey, and is sure to thrill our viewers.”
Felix Baumgartner’s gravity-defying leap into history, which was watched by seven million people around the world, has made him a household name, but the 43-year-old said he has not gotten used to his newfound fame.
“It’s kind of scary, it’s kind of cool if you think about it,” he said.
“I have no privacy anymore. People waiting outside at four in the morning; it’s unbelievable.”
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Felix Baumgartner has lifted off on his mission to break a series of freefall records.
Austrian skydiver’s giant helium balloon left the ground at Roswell, New Mexico, a short while ago and is currently on a climb that should take it to more than 120,000 ft (36.5 km).
Felix Baumgartner will then jump out.
The near absence of air at this high altitude means he should break the speed of sound as he falls – a velocity in excess of 690 mph (1,110 km/h).
The journey down should take 10 minutes, about half of it in freefall.
No-one has ever gone so high in a balloon, nor attempted to make such a high skydive.
The current record for the biggest jump of all time is now 52 years old. It was set by US Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger when he leapt from a helium envelope at an altitude of 102,800 ft (31.3 km).
There are immense risks involved in what Felix Baumgartner is trying to do.
Felix Baumgartner has lifted off on his mission to break a series of freefall records
Where he is going, the air pressure is less than 2% of what it is at sea level, and it is impossible to breathe without an oxygen supply.
Others who have tried to break the existing records for the highest, fastest and longest freefalls have lost their lives in the process.
Engineers have done everything possible to limit the risks. They have built the Austrian a special pressurized capsule to carry him aloft under the helium balloon.
He will also be wearing a next-generation, full-pressure suit, an evolution of the orange protective clothing worn by shuttle astronauts on launch.
Although the jump has the appearance of another Felix Baumgartner stunt, his team prefers to stress its high scientific relevance.
The researchers on the Red Bull Stratos project believe it will inform the development of new systems for emergency evacuation from high-performance, high-altitude vehicles. NASA and its spacecraft manufacturers have asked to be kept informed.
There are a few examples of pilots being ejected in supersonic airflows when their planes broke apart in the sky, but there is no detailed data on what happens to the human body as it goes supersonic and then, as it slows, goes subsonic again.
Felix Baumgartner will be instrumented to acquire this new data.
Engineers have incorporated an automatic device in his gear that would deploy a drogue stabilization chute if he gets into trouble.
There is, however, high confidence in Baumgartner’s team that he will complete the task ahead of him. He has been buoyed by the success of two practice jumps that have taken him progressively higher into the stratosphere – from 71,600ft (21.8km) and 97,100ft (29.6km).
The official lift-off time for the balloon was 09:31 MDT (16:31GMT). Mission control at Roswell airport is following every moment of what is likely to be a more than two-hour ascent to the jump altitude.
Baumgartner is in video and radio contact throughout. The only person who will speak to him, however, is Col. Joe Kittinger, who was brought into the team early to advise the Austrian how best to beat the octogenarian’s records.
“We are going to get your goal and your dream accomplished Felix,” Joe Kittinger told Felix Baumgartner just before lift-off.
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Felix Baumgartner will attempt to become the first human to break the sound barrier unaided by a vehicle.
The Austrian skydiver is going to jump out of a balloon at more than 120,000ft (36.5 km) above Roswell, New Mexico.
In the near vacuum at that altitude, Felix Baumgartner should accelerate beyond about 690 mph (1,110 km/h) within 40 seconds.
If all goes well, Felix Baumgartner, 43, will open a parachute near the ground to land softly in the desert, 10 minutes later.
The adventurer – famous for jumping off skyscrapers – is under no illusions about the dangers he faces.
Where Felix Baumgartner is going, the air pressure is less than 2% of what it is at sea level, and it is impossible to breathe without an oxygen supply.
Others who have tried to break the existing records for the highest, fastest and longest freefalls have lost their lives in the process.
“If something goes wrong, the only thing that might help you is God,” says Felix Baumgartner.
“Because if you run out of luck, if you run out of skills, there is nothing left and you have to really hope he is not going to let you down.”
Felix Baumgartner will attempt to become the first human to break the sound barrier unaided by a vehicle
Weather permitting, lift-off from Roswell airport should occur about 07:00 local time (13:00 GMT).
The absolute mark for the highest skydive is held by retired US Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger.
He leapt from a balloon at an altitude of 102,800 ft (31.3km) in August 1960.
Now an octogenarian, Joe Kittinger is part of Felix Baumgartner’s team and will be the only voice talking to him over the radio during the two-and-a-half hour ascent and the 10-minute descent.
Engineers have done everything possible to limit the risks. They have built the Austrian a special pressurized capsule to carry him under the helium balloon.
Felix Baumgartner will also be wearing a next-generation, full-pressure suit, an evolution of the orange protective clothing worn by shuttle astronauts on launch.
Although the jump has the appearance of another Felix Baumgartner stunt, his team prefers to stress its high scientific relevance.
The researchers on the Red Bull Stratos project believe it will inform the development of new systems for emergency evacuation from high-performance, high-altitude vehicles. NASA and its spacecraft manufacturers have asked to be kept informed.
There are a few examples of pilots being ejected in supersonic airflows when their planes broke apart in the sky, but there is no detailed data on what happens to the human body as it goes supersonic and then, as it slows, goes subsonic again.
Felix Baumgartner will be instrumented to acquire this new data.
The concern is that he might be destabilized by shockwaves passing over his body, and that these might throw him into an uncontrolled spin.
“It’s very important he gets into a delta position,” said Felix Baumgartner’s trainer, Luke Aikins.
“This is hands at his side and his head low, ripping through the sky. This will be crucial to breaking the speed of sound and remaining stable.”
Engineers have incorporated an automatic device in his gear that would deploy a drogue stabilization chute if he gets into trouble. But the team’s medical director, former shuttle flight surgeon Dr. Jon Clark, hopes the stiffness of the pressure suit itself will suffice.
“We know that pressure suits limit mobility which we often consider as a bad thing, but in this scenario of going through the sound barrier, it actually adds a protection because it acts like an exoskeleton,” he explained.
“We don’t know what the human will endure accelerating through the sound barrier in coming back down without the aid of aircraft. And that is really the essence of the scientific goal of this mission.”
There is high confidence Felix Baumgartner will succeed in his quest. He has already completed practice jumps from 71,600 ft (21.8 km) and 97,100ft (29.6 km).
The second of these jumps he described as an extraordinary experience.
“It’s almost overwhelming,” he said.
“When you’re standing there in a pressure suit, the only thing that you hear is yourself breathing, and you can see the curvature of the Earth; you can see the sky’s totally black. It’s kind of an awkward view because you’ve never seen a black sky. And at that moment, you realize you’ve accomplished something really big.”
A suite of high-definition cameras will follow the action. Some of these will be attached to Felix Baumgartner himself.
But wary of broadcasting a tragedy to worldwide TV audiences, the organizers will be putting a 20-second delay on the live video feed.
Four GPS systems in the suit will gather the dive data required to satisfy the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) that records have indeed been broken.
“The data is recorded on an SD microcard in his chest pack,” said Brian Utley, who will file the official report to the FAI after the jump.
“I insert that card into the equipment. From that moment on, I have control over the equipment. I’m with it until Felix goes into the capsule, and when he lands I am the first person to approach him so I can take possession of that card again.”
A BBC/National Geographic documentary is being made about the project and will probably be aired in November.
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