Image of the Day: Stratospheric! -- "Extreme Space Jumping"
Extreme skydiver, Felix Baumgartner, begins a freefall of 29,455 metres in a test jump for the Red Bull Stratos Project thatlasted 3 minutes and 48 seconds at speeds reaching 862 kilometers per hour, with a 10 minute and 36 second descent into the desert of New Mexico. The jump --to test the latest pressure suits and safety measures that could be used in future space travel--makes him the second person ever to have completed a jump from this altitude.
On Baumgartner's final jump, scheduled for later this year, he will plummet from 120,000 feet (36,576 meters) breaking the sound barrier - the highest ever space dive.
Image credit: Jay Nemeth/Red Bull Content Pool
Comments
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It takes all kinds to make this world, I guess. Pity, though, that he's doing it to promote Red Bull, a dangerous beverage that is now being pushed to our youth.
Posted by: Tosca Z | July 27, 2012 at 09:40 PM
It takes all kinds to make this world, I guess. Pity, though, that he's doing it to promote Red Bull, a dangerous beverage that is now being pushed to our youth.
Posted by: Tosca Z | July 27, 2012 at 09:40 PM
Red Bull is the sponsor here, they paid the bulk of it to make this happen (it's not primarily for promotion, however, Red Bull obviously wants it known that they essentially paid for this). The idea is to test a next generation space suit, for what's yet to come in the next couple decades.
Posted by: Relentless | July 27, 2012 at 10:45 PM
"Not primarily for promotion," perhaps. But I won't be surprised to see a commercial showing Baumgartner stepping off his launch platform, while the voiceover says, "Red Bull gives you wings!"
That said, supporting advances in space technology is a good thing.
Posted by: Rev. Carl Bowers | July 28, 2012 at 06:43 AM
¨a dangerous beverage¨ what are u talking about?
why is it dangerous?
it helps me a lot when i´m sleepy and i have to go to work now if you replace your daily water needs for redbull then yes i agree it could be dangerous but drinking 1 when you need a boost i think you´ll be fine
Posted by: daniel | July 29, 2012 at 08:22 AM
The fact that this is promoted by Red Bull is not relevant, because the most important fact is that a skydiver has accomplished this feast is testimonial in of itself. This is the second person in history to dive at this altitude and he is going for 120,000 feet and is going to break the sound barrier. How many humans can say that they, without the assistance of a jet plane, have broken the sound barrier while skydiving. In the realm of skydiving is this the barrier of how high skydiving could go? Could someone skydive from the ISS using an inflatable heat shield?
Posted by: kristi276 | July 30, 2012 at 12:10 AM
He will not break the sound barrier. That is not possible. He will simply fall faster than the speed at which sound travels at NP&T at sea level. He will not be anywhere near the NP&T at sea level! Jeeze some of the comments on this blog are ignorant.
Posted by: Lee | July 31, 2012 at 07:37 AM