15 October 2012 - 08:34 Red Bull Stratos: Mission Accomplished!
RED BULL STRATOS. Austria's Felix Baumgartner earned his place in the history books on Sunday after overcoming concerns with the power for his visor heater that impaired his vision and nearly jeopardized the mission. Baumgartner reached an estimated speed of 1,342.8 km/h (Mach 1.24) jumping from the stratosphere, which when certified will make him the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall and set several other records* while delivering valuable data for future space exploration.
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps out of the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jay Nemeth/Red Bull
ROSWELL, New Mexico - After flying to an altitude of 39,045 meters (128,100 feet) in a helium-filled balloon, Felix Baumgartner completed Sunday morning a record breaking jump for the ages from the edge of space, exactly 65 years after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier flying in an experimental rocket-powered airplane. The 43-year-old Austrian skydiving expert also broke two other world records (highest freefall, highest manned balloon flight), leaving the one for the longest freefall to project mentor Col. Joe Kittinger.
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria sits in the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jay Nemeth/Red Bull
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps out from the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull
Baumgartner landed safely with his parachute in the desert of New Mexico after jumping out of his space capsule at 39,045 meters and plunging back towards earth, hitting a maximum of speed of 1,342.8 km/h through the near vacuum of the stratosphere before being slowed by the atmosphere later during his 4:20 minute long freefall. Countless millions of people around the world watched his ascent and jump live on television broadcasts and live stream on the Internet. At one point during his freefall Baumgartner appeared to spin rapidly, but he quickly re-gained control and moments later opened his parachute as members of the ground crew cheered and viewers around the world heaved a sigh of relief.
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps out of his capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jay Nemeth/Red Bull
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria lands in the desert after successfully completing the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull
"It was an incredible up and down today, just like it's been with the whole project," a relieved Baumgartner said. "First we got off with a beautiful launch and then we had a bit of drama with a power supply issue to my visor. The exit was perfect but then I started spinning slowly. I thought I'd just spin a few times and that would be that, but then I started to speed up. It was really brutal at times. I thought for a few seconds that I'd lose consciousness. I didn't feel a sonic boom because I was so busy just trying to stabilize myself. We'll have to wait and see if we really broke the sound barrier. It was really a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria and Technical Project Director Art Thompson of the Unites States celebrate after successfully completing the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull
Baumgartner and his team spent five years training and preparing for the mission that is designed to improve our scientific understanding of how the body copes with the extreme conditions at the edge of space.
Baumgartner had endured several weather-related delays before finally lifting off under bright blue skies and calm winds on Sunday morning. The Red Bull Stratos crew watching from Mission Control broke out into spontaneous applause when the balloon lifted off.
* The data on the records set by the jump are preliminary pending confirmation from the authorized governing bodies.
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria sits in his trailer during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria steps out from his trailer during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: balazsgardi.com/Red Bull
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria steps out from his trailer during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: balazsgardi.com/Red Bull
The crane launches the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull
The balloon lifts up during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps out of the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jay Nemeth/Red Bull
Screens at the mission control shows Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria jump during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull
Crew members at the mission control watch the jump of pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria celebrates after successfully completing the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria celebrates after successfully completing the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Predrag Vuckovic/Red Bull
Family members and friends celebrates the successful jump of pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: Jörg Mitter/Red Bull
Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria celebrates after successfully completing the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012. Photo Credit: balazsgardi.com/Red Bull
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