Skydiver Felix Baumgartner breaks sound barrier
Highlights from Felix Baumgartner's leap into the record books
Austrian
Felix Baumgartner has become the first skydiver to go faster than the
speed of sound, reaching a maximum velocity of 833.9mph (1,342km/h).
In jumping out of a balloon 128,100ft (24 miles; 39km) above
New Mexico, the 43-year-old also smashed the record for the highest ever
freefall.He 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.
"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," he said afterwards at a media conference.
None of the new marks set by 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 the Austrian's chest pack will form the basis for the height and speed claims that are made.
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The jump in numbers
- Exit altitude: 128,100ft; 39,045m
- Freefall time: 4'20"
- Freefall distance 119,846ft; 36,529m
- Max velocity: 833.9mph; 1,342.8km/h; Mach 1.24
These will be submitted formally through the Aerosport Club of Austria for certification.
There was concern early in the dive that 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, he 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.
Anxious viewing: Eva Baumgartner watches her son climb into the sky
The team took a calculated risk to proceed after understanding why the problem existed.
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 Kittinger, who leapt from a helium envelope in 1960. His altitude was 102,800ft (31km). (His mark for the longest freefall remains intact; he fell for more than four and a half minutes before deploying his chute; Baumgartner was in freefall for four minutes and 19 seconds).
Kittinger, now an octogenarian, has been an integral part of 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 honour to work with this brave guy," the elder man said.
The 43-year-old adventurer - best known for leaping off skyscrapers - first discussed the possibility of beating Kittinger's records in 2005.
The Austrian first began to discuss seriously the idea of a record breaking jump in 2005
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.
Baumgartner's team built him a special pressurised 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 Baumgartner stunt, his team stressed its high scientific relevance.
Kittinger (L) was the only person Baumgartner wanted to hear on the radio during the mission
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.
The giant helium balloon carrying Baumgartner's capsule was released early moning local time in Roswell
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