ROSWELL NM- Red Bull Stratos, mission to the edge of space, transcends human limits that have existed for 50 years succeeds today. Supported by a team of experts Felix Baumgartner ascends to over 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and makes a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. His atmospheric limits hold the potential to provide valuable medical and scientific research data for future pioneers. He is now the fastest man alive.
In the process, Baumgartner broke three world records:
- At 128,000 feet, this is the highest manned balloon flight.
- It was also the highest human freefall ever recorded.
- He officially achieved supersonic speed at 729 MPH, which is the fastest a human has ever traveled.
The Red Bull Stratos team brings together the world's leading minds in aerospace medicine, engineering, pressure suit development, capsule creation and balloon fabrication. It includes retired United States Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger, who holds three of the records Felix will strive to break.
-Red Bull Stratos image-
Joe's record jump from 102,800 ft in 1960 was during a time when no one knew if a human could survive a jump from the edge of space. Joe was a Captain in the U.S. Air Force and had already taken a balloon to 97,000 feet in Project ManHigh and survived a drogue mishap during a jump from 76,400 feet in Excelsior I. The Excelsior III mission was his 33rd parachute jump.
Although researching extremes was part of the program's goals, setting records wasn't the mission's purpose. Joe ascended in helium balloon launched from the back of a truck. He wore a pressurized suit on the way up in an open, unpressurized gondola. Scientific data captured from Joe's jump was shared with U.S. research personnel for development of the space program. Today Felix and his specialized team took what was learned from Joe's jumps more than 50 years ago and pressed forward to test the edge of the human envelope. FMI: http://www.redbullstratos.com/