Felix Baumgartner, ready for his ascent to 96,640 feet. Photo: Red Bull Stratos
Felix Baumgartner wants to become the first person to break the speed of sound in a freefall, and it looks like he just might make it.
“Fearless Felix” took another big step toward his goal Wednesday morning with a test jump from 96,640 feet. His descent took 10 minutes and 36 seconds, and the 43-year-old skydiving star reached 536 mph during a freefall that lasted 3 minutes and 48 seconds.
Think about that for a moment. Baumgartner fell 780 feet per second for 228 seconds, at an altitude that would vaporize his blood if his suit were to depressurize. It’s insane. And wonderful, in every sense of the word.
The ascent took about 90 minutes. The descent, 10 minutes and change. Photo: Red Bull Stratos
And it was all a test run for the Austrian’s ultimate goal of leaping into the void from 120,000 feet — that’s 23 miles, folks — and achieving the speed of sound (around 700 mph at that altitude) during a freefall expected to last at least five minutes. He hopes to eclipse the unofficial record Joe Kittinger, a retired Air Force colonel from Florida, set in 1960 when he jumped from 102,800 feet.
“It was a rough couple of days and an exhausting endeavor,” Baumgartner said in a statement. “I am now really excited. It has always been a dream of mine. Only one more step to go.”
Today’s leap over Roswell, New Mexico, followed a test jump from 71,580 feet in March.
“It felt completely different at 90,000 feet,” Baumgartner, said, according to the Associated Press. “There is no control when you exit the capsule. There is no way to get stable.”
Baumgartner lifted off early Wednesday morning; the climb took about 90 minutes. He landed safely about 15 minutes by helicopter from his launch site at Roswell International Air Center.
“It’s hard not to get emotional about today,” Red Bull Stratos technical director Art Thompson said in a statement. “We are just so glad to have Felix back on the ground after a long week with significant weather challenges. The crew did a great job.”
Wednesday’s leap was twice delayed by thunderstorms, wind and rain. Conditions must be perfect, because the 5.3 million cubic-foot balloon that carried him aloft is quite delicate. The balloon he’ll use for the final jump later this summer is four times larger — Red Bull, his sponsor, says it is as tall as a skyscraper — and can take off only if surface winds are no greater than 4 mph.
Baumgartner will jump from the stratosphere for several reasons, not the least of which is because he can. The seasoned skydiver and BASE jumper wants to set records for the highest jump and longest free fall.
But there’s also some scientific inquiry in learning what happens to the body as it approaches and exceeds the sound barrier. The list of things that can go wrong is long, and the data will be of interest to military and commercial aerospace, especially companies like Space X and Virgin Galactic.
Baumgartner hugs Joe Kittinger upon his return to Earth. Photo: Red Bull Stratos
