Skydiver Felix Baumgartner Freefalls 24 Miles From the Edge of Space, Sets World Records During Red Bull Stratos Mission
Today, for the Red Bull Stratos mission, Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner jumped from a pressurized capsule more than 24 miles up in the air (at the edge of space) down to Earth. This historic mission set world records for highest manned balloon flight and the highest freefall. It was broadcast live on YouTube. CNET has the full story. Congratulations Felix!
Information from Red Bull Stratos on Facebook:
Felix has landed safely from his jump from the Stratosphere.
Preliminary Figures, official data TBC:
Altitude: 128,097 ft
Duration of freefall: 4:19
Total jump time: 9:03
Speed: 1137 kmh
UPDATE (10/14/2012): video footage of the jump has been released by Red Bull Stratos.
Felix has now reached over 102,800 ft, surpassing Joe Kittinger’s record of longest lasting freefall win.gs/stratoslive
— Red Bull Stratos (@RedBullStratos) October 14, 2012
Felix just broke the record for the record of highest manned balloon flight at over 113,740 ft. win.gs/stratoslive
— Red Bull Stratos (@RedBullStratos) October 14, 2012
images via Red Bull Stratos livefeed/screenshots by Rusty Blazenhoff