Record-breaking skydiver, Felix Baumgartner attempts to break four world records with Red Bull Stratos (Watch It Live)

Come today, Tuesday October 9th, a record-breaking skydiver, Felix Baumgartner backed by a team of world-leading scientists, will take a stratospheric balloon flight to 120,000 feet/36,576 meters above the Earth’s surface and jump.

The mission is dubbed: “RED BULL STRATOS”. Red Bull Stratos, a mission to the edge of space, will attempt to transcend human limits that have existed for 50 years. Supported by a team of experts, Felix Baumgartner plans to ascend to 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and make a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. His attempt to dare atmospheric limits holds the potential to provide valuable medical and scientific research data for future pioneers.

Felix Baumgartner

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.

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 hope to take what was learned from Joe’s jumps more than 50 years ago and press forward to test the edge of the human envelope.

Felix could potentially break four world records: – Reaching supersonic speed in freefall (breaking the sound barrier); Highest manned balloon flight; Longest freefall, and Freefall from highest altitude.

BY: Dro Ameh