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felix baumgartner
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, who has become the first skydiver to go through the sound barrier, says the main goal of his exploit was to collect scientific data.
The aim, his team insists, is to assist in the development of high-altitude parachute systems that will save lives when spacecraft are evacuated in the stratosphere.
There is a long history of people undertaking daring feats and helping science into the bargain. Here are five examples.
1. Captain Robert Falcon Scott
Robert Falcon Scott is famed as the explorer who lost the race to the South Pole and who led his team to their deaths on the return journey. But his expedition also laid the foundations of modern polar science, says historian David Wilson, great-nephew of Scott’s naturalist, Edward Wilson. One of the fossils found alongside Scott’s frozen body was of a beech-like tree, Glossoptera indica, which proved that Antarctica and Australia had once been part of an ancient super-continent – and “helped us change our geological understanding of the planet” according to Wilson. Scott also collected the first Emperor penguin eggs. These disproved the theory, then current, that an embryo passed through all the stages of its species’ evolution as it developed. Scientists had expected the eggs to show the link between dinosaurs and birds – but they didn’t.
2. George Hedley Stainforth
On 29 September 1931, RAF pilot George Hedley Stainforth became the first man in the world to exceed 400 mph (643 km). This broke the record set by his team earlier that year during a competition for the Schneider Trophy, in five races around the waters of the Solent, in the UK, watched by hundreds of thousands of people. The seaplane used, the Supermarine S.6, was designed by RJ Mitchell, who used it as the basis for the Hurricane, and also the Spitfire – one of the fastest fighters of its time, which became the backbone of RAF Fighter Command in World War II. The Schneider trophy was crucial to the defeat of Germany, says pilot John Russell.
“If they hadn’t done that exponential development of aeronautics and engine development over the 18 years it took place, then we wouldn’t really have the aircraft like the Hurricane and Spitfire to be available by the time of the Battle of Britain.”
The competition, set up by a French industrialist to encourage technical advances in aviation, ran from 1913 to 1931, with a gap during World War I. George Hedley Stainforth went on to break the world record for flying upside-down – for 12 minutes.
3. John Paul Stapp
In 1954, US Air Force medical researcher John Paul Stapp earned the title “the Fastest Man Alive” when he rode a rocket-powered sled to a then-world record land speed of 632 mph (1.017 km/h), going from a standstill to a speed faster than a 45-caliber bullet in five seconds. He then screeched to a dead stop in 1.4 seconds, sustaining a force equivalent to 46.2 times gravity. It was an experiment that tested the limits of human endurance, with the aim of making transportation safer. He suffered broken bones and detached retinas, but out of these wild rides – by December 1954, Stapp had volunteered for 29 rocket sled deceleration and windblast experiments – came improved helmets, arm and leg restraints, better aircraft seats, stronger safety harnesses and techniques for positioning the body to help absorb powerful forces.
As he had long felt that the safety measures he was developing for military aircraft should also be used for civilian automobiles, John Paul Stapp also campaigned for the installation of seat belts and other safety features in American cars. He was in the room on 9 September 1966 when US President Lyndon Johnson signed the Highway Safety Act of 1966, requiring seatbelts in all new cars sold in the US.
According to the official website of the US Air Force, John Paul Stapp is also credited with coining one of the most famous phrases in American history when he suffered injuries owing to a mistake by one of his assistants Captain Murphy. After he discovered what happened, Stapp observed that “Whatever can go wrong, will go wrong.” It’s been called “Murphy’s Law” ever since.
4. Yuri Gagarin
Russian cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became an international celebrity on 12 April 1961, when he became the first man in space – effectively, a human guinea pig. His single orbit of Earth during a 108-minute flight – reaching an altitude of 203 miles, and a speed of 17,025 mph (27,000 km/h) – proved that man could endure the rigors of lift-off, re-entry, and weightlessness. It launched the era of manned spaceflight, and intensified the superpower space race that had begun with the launch of Sputnik, the first satellite, in 1957.
In fact, Yuri Gagarin almost lost consciousness for a different reason – a service module failed to separate from Gagarin’s capsule before he returned to earth, leading it to spin wildly and the temperature within to rise dangerously high.
5. Dan Martin
When intensive care consultant Dan Martin climbed Everest, he reported the lowest level of oxygen in the human body ever recorded – his own. While not a daredevil as such, he is part of a team of doctors studying how the human body behaves in low-oxygen environments, in particular at high altitude, and drawing lessons for treatment of critically ill patients.
“When people go into intensive care, they commonly suffer with low levels of oxygen in their blood. Some can tolerate it, some can’t. Our understanding of it is very poor,” he says.
The team has already established that giving patients lots of oxygen in intensive care does not necessarily lead to better outcomes. It has also noted that Sherpas have high levels of nitric oxide in their blood, and is experimenting with raising levels of nitric oxide in the blood of patients.
Skydiver Felix Baumgartner smashed a number of records with his “edge of space” stunt – including for live streaming.
More than eight million people flocked to their devices to watch the 43-year-old break the speed of sound live on Google’s YouTube site.
It is the largest number of concurrent live streams in the website’s history, Google confirmed.
Austrian Felix Baumgartner also broke the record for the highest freefall.
He jumped from a capsule taken to 128,100ft (24 miles; 39 km) above New Mexico in the US by a giant helium balloon.
It took nine minutes for him to reach the ground.
The adventurer plummeted at an estimated 833.9 mph (1,343 km/h), hitting Mach 1.24.
“On the step, I felt that the whole world is watching,” Felix Baumgartner said after the jump.
“I said I wish they would see what I see. It was amazing.”
More than eight million people flocked to their devices to watch Felix Baumgartner break the speed of sound live on YouTube
The capsule from which the skydiver fell was equipped with cameras to provide a live internet feed to millions of people around the world.
A Google spokesperson confirmed that the number of viewers simultaneously watching the Red Bull Stratos stunt live on YouTube was the site’s highest.
“We congratulate Felix Baumgartner and the entire Red Bull Stratos team for their successful mission, and for creating a live stream with the most concurrent views ever on YouTube,” the company said on its blog.
In comparison, about 8.3 million people accessed the BBC’s sport website on the first day of this year’s Olympic Games.
Other technology used to record the event will have a more long-term application. Felix Baumgartner’s body was monitored during the jump using equipment from Equivital, a small UK company.
A system strapped to the skydiver’s chest wirelessly transmitted data about his heartbeat, respiration, skin temperature and other vital signs.
“It’s a major coup for Equivital, which, despite its small size – currently only 25 employees – provides the US Army with its human body monitoring system,” the company said.
The Red Bull Stratos scientists said the stunt had provided invaluable data for the development of high-performance, high-altitude parachute systems, and that the lessons learned would inform the development of new ideas for emergency evacuation from vehicles, such as spacecraft passing through the stratosphere.
“Part of this programme was to show high-altitude egress, passing through Mach and a successful re-entry back [to subsonic speed], because our belief scientifically is that’s going to benefit future private space programmes or high-altitude pilots, and Felix proved that today,” said Art Thompson, the team principal.
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Felix Baumgartner has become the first skydiver to go faster than the speed of sound, reaching a maximum velocity of 833.9 mph (1,342 km/h).
In jumping out of a balloon 128,100 ft (24 miles; 39 km) above New Mexico, Felix Baumgartner, 43, also smashed the record for the highest ever freefall.
Felix Baumgartner said he almost aborted the dive because his helmet visor fogged up.
It took just under 10 minutes for him to descend. Only the last few thousand feet were negotiated by parachute.
Once down, he fell to his knees and raised his fists in triumph. Helicopter recovery teams were on hand moments later.
“Let me tell you – when I was standing there on top of the world, you become so humble. You don’t think about breaking records anymore, you don’t think about gaining scientific data – the only thing that you want is to come back alive,” Felix Baumgartner said afterwards at a media conference.
None of the new marks set by Felix Baumgartner can be classed as “official” until endorsed by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI).
Its representative was the first to greet the skydiver on the ground. GPS data recorded on to a microcard in Felix Baumgartner’s chest pack will form the basis for the height and speed claims that are made.
These will be submitted formally through the Aerosport Club of Austria for certification.
Felix Baumgartner has become the first skydiver to go faster than the speed of sound
There was concern early in the dive that Felix Baumgartner was in trouble. He was supposed to get himself into a delta position – head down, arms swept back – as soon as possible after leaving his capsule. But the video showed him tumbling over and over.
Eventually, however, the Austrian was able to use his great experience, from more than 2,500 career dives, to correct his fall and get into a stable configuration.
Even before this drama, it was thought the mission might have to be called off. As he went through last-minute checks inside the capsule, it was found that a heater for his visor was not working. This meant the visor fogged up as he exhaled.
“This is very serious, Joe,” he told retired US Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger, whose records he was attempting to break, and who was acting as his radio link in mission control at Roswell airport.
The team took a calculated risk to proceed after understanding why the problem existed.
Felix Baumgartner’s efforts have finally toppled records that have stood for more than 50 years.
Joe Kittinger set his marks for the highest, farthest, and longest freefall when he leapt from a helium envelope in 1960. His altitude was 102,800 ft (31 km). (His record for the longest freefall remains intact – Joe Kittinger fell for more than four and a half minutes before deploying his chute; Felix Baumgartner was in freefall for four minutes and 20 seconds).
Joe Kittinger, now an octogenarian, has been an integral part of Felix Baumgartner’s team, and has provided the Austrian with advice and encouragement whenever the younger man has doubted his ability to complete such a daring venture.
“Felix did a great job and it was a great honor to work with this brave guy,” the elder man said.
The 43-year-old adventurer – best known for leaping off skyscrapers – first discussed seriously the possibility of beating Joe Kittinger’s records in 2005.
Since then, Felix Baumgartner has had to battle technical and budgetary challenges to make it happen.
What he was proposing was extremely dangerous, even for a man used to those skyscraper stunts.
At Sunday’s jump altitude, 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 records have lost their lives in the process.
Felix Baumgartner’s team built him a special pressurized capsule to protect him on the way up, and for his descent he wore a next generation, full pressure suit made by the same company that prepares the flight suits of astronauts.
Although the jump had the appearance of another Felix Baumgartner stunt, his team stressed its high scientific relevance.
The researchers on the Red Bull Stratos project say it has already provided invaluable data for the development of high-performance, high-altitude parachute systems, and that the lessons learned will inform the development of new ideas for emergency evacuation from vehicles, such as spacecraft, passing through the stratosphere.
NASA and its spacecraft manufacturers have asked to be kept informed.
“Part of this programme was to show high-altitude egress, passing through Mach and a successful re-entry back [to subsonic speed], because our belief scientifically is that’s going to benefit future private space programmes or high-altitude pilots; and Felix proved that today,” said Art Thompson, the team principal.
A BBC/National Geographic documentary is being made about the project and will probably be aired in November.
Felix Baumgartner’s jump in numbers:
• Exit altitude: 128,100 ft; 39,045 m
• Total jump duration: 9’03”
• Freefall time: 4’20”
• Freefall distance 119,846 ft; 36,529 m
• Max velocity: 833.9 mph; 1,342.8 km/h; Mach 1.24
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Felix Baumgartner has broken the record for the highest ever skydive by jumping out of a balloon 128,000 ft (39 km) above New Mexico.
Felix Baumgartner, 43, was hoping also to break the sound barrier during his descent – although that mark awaits confirmation.
Video cameras relayed the moment Felix Baumgartner stepped from his balloon capsule to begin his fall to Earth.
It took 10 minutes for him to reach the desert surface below.
Only the last few thousand feet were negotiated by parachute.
Helicopter recovery teams have gone to Felix Baumgartner’s landing site to return him to the mission control centre set up at Roswell airport.
Video cameras relayed the moment Felix Baumgartner stepped from his balloon capsule to begin his fall to Earth
Felix Baumgartner’s efforts have finally toppled records that have stood for more than 50 years.
The previous highest, farthest, and longest freefall was made by retired US Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger, who leapt from a helium envelope in 1960. His altitude was 102,800 ft (31.3 km).
Joe Kittinger, now an octogenarian, was on hand to witness the dramatic jump from the stratosphere. Indeed, he acted as “Capcom” – capsule communicator – throughout the ascent and descent, maintaining voice contact with the much younger man.
None of the new marks set by Felix Baumgartner can be classed as “official” until approved by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI).
Its representative in Roswell will analyze GPS data recorded on to a microcard in the Austrian’s chest pack. This information will form the basis for any height and speed claims Baumgartner intends to lodge with the FAI.
The adventurer – perhaps best known for leaping off skyscrapers – first discussed the possibility of beating Joe Kittinger’s records in 2005.
Since then, he has had to battle technical and budgetary challenges to make it happen.
What he was proposing was extremely dangerous, even for a man used to those skyscraper stunts.
At an altitude of 120,000 ft (36.5 km), 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 records for the highest, fastest and longest freefalls have lost their lives in the process.
Felix Baumgartner’s team built him a special pressurized capsule to protect him on the way up, and for his descent he wore a next generation, full pressure suit made by the same company that prepares the flight suits of astronauts.
Although the jump had the appearance of another Felix Baumgartner stunt, his team stressed its high scientific relevance.
The researchers on the Red Bull Stratos project say it has already provided invaluable data for the development of high-performance, high-altitude parachute systems, and that the lessons learned will inform the development of new ideas for emergency evacuation from vehicles, such as spacecraft, passing through the stratosphere.
NASA and its spacecraft manufacturers have asked to be kept informed.
Jon Clark is the medical director on the team. The former shuttle flight surgeon lost his wife in the Columbia accident in 2003.
He said Felix Baumgartner’s experience could help save the lives of future astronauts who get into trouble.
A BBC/National Geographic documentary is being made about the project and will probably be aired in November.
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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 has been frustrated in his attempt to make the highest ever skydive.
Unfavorable winds at Roswell, New Mexico, have prevented the launch of the helium balloon that was to take him to more than 120,000 ft (36.5 km).
Meteorologists say Thursday now looks to be next best day for a record bid.
Felix Baumgartner – famous for jumping off skyscrapers – is hoping to become the first human to break the sound barrier unaided by a vehicle.
Because of the rarity of the atmosphere at 120,000 ft, he would accelerate rapidly once he stepped out of his balloon’s capsule.
Calculations suggest he could achieve Mach 1 – thought to be around 690mph (1,110 km/h) at the target altitude – within 40 seconds.
But this will all have to wait for another day.
Unfavorable winds at Roswell have prevented the launch of Felix Baumgartner’s helium balloon
Felix Baumgartner’s 30 million cu ft (850,000 cu m) polyethylene balloon has very strict launch requirements.
Wind speeds from the ground up to about 800 ft (250 m) must not exceed 3 mph (5k m/h), or there is a chance the envelope could shred as the support team try to release it and the capsule.
And although Tuesday morning’s conditions at the surface were dead calm, the winds at times were just too gusty.
Felix Baumgartner got as far as climbing into his capsule before the mission was postponed.
The latest weather intelligence had suggested there would be a good window to get airborne, but as the balloon filled, a sudden 25-mph (40 km/h) gust twisted the envelope and knocked it flat against the ground.
That could have damaged the thin skin of the balloon and so flight controllers felt they had no option but to abort.
The current weather window for this year probably extends for another month. Beyond that and the team will likely have to return next year.
Felix Baumgartner is trying to topple records that have stood for more than 50 years.
The previous highest skydive was made by retired US Air Force Col. Joe Kittinger, who leapt from a helium envelope in 1960. His altitude was 102,800 ft (31.3 km).
The adventurer first discussed seriously the idea of taking on the challenge in 2005.
Since then, he has had to battle technical and budgetary setbacks to make it happen.
What he is trying to do is extremely dangerous.
At an altitude of 120,000 ft (36.5 km), 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 records for the highest, fastest and longest freefalls have lost their lives in the process.
Felix Baumgartner’s team has built him a special pressurized capsule to protect him on the way up, and for his descent he will wear a next generation, full pressure suit made by the same company that prepares the flight suits of astronauts.
Although the jump has the appearance of another Felix Baumgartner stunt, his team has stressed its high scientific relevance.
The researchers on the Red Bull Stratos project say it has already provided invaluable data for the development of high-performance, high-altitude parachute systems, and that the lessons learned will inform the development of new ideas for emergency evacuation from vehicles, such as spacecraft, passing through the stratosphere.
NASA and its spacecraft manufacturers have asked to be kept informed.
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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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