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Felix Baumgartner: The best photos and videos from the edge of space
By Sebastian Anthony on October 15, 2012 at 8:06 am
Yesterday, Felix Baumgartner successfully skydived from 128,100 feet (24.2 miles, 39 kilometers) above Roswell, New Mexico. In doing so, he now holds three world records: The highest manned balloon flight, the highest skydive free fall, and — as confirmed by a Red Bull spokesperson earlier — the first person to break the speed of sound without mechanical aid.
The exact stats of the jump, as measured by Baumgartner’s on-board equipment (but not yet certified by the FAI governing body), are as follows:
Jump altitude: 128,100 feet (24.2mi, 39km, the middle of the stratosphere)
Free fall distance: 119,846 feet (22.7mi, 36.5km)
Free fall time: 4 minutes 20 seconds
Max velocity: 373 meters per second, or 833.9 mph (1342 kph)
That final tidbit is probably the most exciting, as it was completely unexpected. Baumgartner and his Red Bull Stratos team had hoped to break the sound barrier (Mach), and possibly push towards Mach 1.1, but 834 mph is a full 70 mph faster than that (Mach 1.2). In case you were wondering, the speed of sound at sea level is 340 meters per second, or 761 mph — but the speed of sound varies, depending on air temperature and humidity (sound is just another form of energy, after all). In the stratosphere, the speed of sound is nearer 700 mph, or 313 m/s, thus Baumgartner’s max velocity of Mach 1.2.
[youtube]FHtvDA0W34I[/youtube]
By Sebastian Anthony on October 15, 2012 at 8:06 am
Yesterday, Felix Baumgartner successfully skydived from 128,100 feet (24.2 miles, 39 kilometers) above Roswell, New Mexico. In doing so, he now holds three world records: The highest manned balloon flight, the highest skydive free fall, and — as confirmed by a Red Bull spokesperson earlier — the first person to break the speed of sound without mechanical aid.
The exact stats of the jump, as measured by Baumgartner’s on-board equipment (but not yet certified by the FAI governing body), are as follows:
Jump altitude: 128,100 feet (24.2mi, 39km, the middle of the stratosphere)
Free fall distance: 119,846 feet (22.7mi, 36.5km)
Free fall time: 4 minutes 20 seconds
Max velocity: 373 meters per second, or 833.9 mph (1342 kph)
That final tidbit is probably the most exciting, as it was completely unexpected. Baumgartner and his Red Bull Stratos team had hoped to break the sound barrier (Mach), and possibly push towards Mach 1.1, but 834 mph is a full 70 mph faster than that (Mach 1.2). In case you were wondering, the speed of sound at sea level is 340 meters per second, or 761 mph — but the speed of sound varies, depending on air temperature and humidity (sound is just another form of energy, after all). In the stratosphere, the speed of sound is nearer 700 mph, or 313 m/s, thus Baumgartner’s max velocity of Mach 1.2.
[youtube]FHtvDA0W34I[/youtube]
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