Fearless Felix breaks speed of sound during jump from space
Posted October 14, 2012 2:22 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ROSWELL, NM (NEWS1130) – Felix Baumgartner has officially become the first skydiver to break the speed of sound at a maximum speed of 1,342 km/h.
In an awe-inspiring feat, the Austrian extreme athlete and skydiver jumped from more than 38 kilometres over the Earth.
Baumgartner landed safely in the New Mexico desert after jumping from a capsule lifted by a helium balloon.
The jump had to be cancelled on two occasions last week due to excessive winds, but weather conditions were considered good enough to proceed Sunday.
Baumgartner jumped from approximately 38,954 metres, soaring through the air and reaching speeds of more than 1,100 km/h.
The jump went fairly smoothly, with Baumgartner appearing cool and under control. He deployed his parachute and was able to careen himself to the Earth with seemingly little problem.
His dive from the stratosphere is expected to provide scientists with valuable information for next-generation spacesuits.
What’s it like jumping out of a balloon 38 km in space?
Local astronomer David Dodge says no one was completely sure what would happen to Baumgartner after he stepped out of his capsule.
“At that altitude, there’s virtually no atmosphere so he has no resistance and with no resistance, he has no control,” explains Dodge. “So for the first minute or so, he was at the mercy of gravity really and the dynamics of how he jumped out.”
“He was doing a flat spin and rolling around, but as soon as he got into thicker atmosphere– because he’s a professional skydiver — he managed to control himself and control his descent at that point,” he adds.
Dodge says the lessons learned from this jump could help researchers looking into transcontinental flight at that altitude and how it affects people.
