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23 Miles Of Free Fall - Live Webcast Of Felix Baumgartner's Third World Record Attempt From The Edge Of Space
Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner's previous two attempts to set a world record in freefalling from an altitude of 23 miles, or from "the edge of space" were aborted in the last minute due to heavy winds. In a few minutes, the daredevil will find out if third time will be the charm for gravity to finally not be denied. Watch the live webcast below and find out in an hour when the process is officially scheduled to begin.
A step by step process of what the key events are if the jump is allowed to proceed:
Weather conditions permitting, well-known daredevil Felix Baumgartner will enter a six-foot-diameter pressurized capsule and ascend to 120,000 feet via a high altitude balloon. When he hits the right altitude, he'll begin his jump.
Within about 40 seconds he will have accelerated enough to break the sound barrier — also a new record, in addition to the altitude. As he falls he enters thicker air that could have a deadly effect; it could cause him to suddenly spin out of control and lose consciousness. If that happens he risks being unable to deploy his parachute.
If all goes well, his free fall should last an incredible five and a half minutes, and he will deploy his chute at 5,000 feet.
Should his attempt be success it will set the new world record for a high altitude jump. The current record was set in 1960 by United States Air Force Col. Joseph Kittinger, who is now serving as a consultant on Baumgartner's attempt.
Courtesy of Reuters, here is a sampling of some of the risks and hazards associated with attempting a record 23 miles of free fall.
- Colliding shock waves, triggered by a human body moving faster than the speed of sound, could hit with the force of an explosion, though the risk of this is much less likely in the stratosphere where the air is extremely thin.
- The low-pressure environment could cause Baumgartner to go into a flat spin. If a spin lasts for too long, he could lose consciousness and injure his eyes, brain and cardiovascular system.
- Exposure to vacuum, even for a short period of time, could cause Baumgartner's blood literally to boil. The condition, known as ebullism, causes fluids in the body to turn to gas.
- Gas seeping into the body due to a relatively rapid exposure to low pressure can cause decompression sickness, or "the bends."
- As pressure decreases, trapped gas in the body can cause ear blockages, dizziness and acute tooth, sinus and gastrointestinal pain. When decompression is sudden, lungs can over-inflate and collapse. A gas bubble in an artery could stop blood flow.
- Extremely cold temperatures pose a threat to Baumgartner and his equipment. Excessive heat from the sun is also a risk.
- Ultraviolet radiation is more than 100,000 times as strong at 120,000 feet, where Baumgartner plans to begin his jump, as it is at ground level, but Baumgartner should have a very short exposure time.
- Wind shear could make Baumgartner nauseous and could destroy his balloon.
- A breach in Baumgartner's protective spacesuit or the accidental deployment of a parachute are considered the biggest safety concerns
And finally, for the visual learners, an infographic of all you need to know, via Space.com:
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Go Felix!
Will Felix be dropping 100 dollar bills from his capsule?
Why else would new $100 bills disappear from a FED aircraft?
That must be one big fucking crane...
that cannot possibly be the actual lunar surface.
if you look closely, you can see evidence of green botanical material.
Finally someone that might beat the major currencies of the world in a race to the bottom. On second though, nahh..
I jumped from Space and all I got was this stupid shirt
Today's 'Socioeconomic' Metaphor = An attempt at a FREEFALL world record... How appropriate...
... and the winner's prize is a C-note with a disappearing Liberty bell.
The thing was'cracked' to begin with... Now it's just gone altogether...
Where's Stanley Kubrick?
Gratz Felix!
Way to go Felix!!!
Holy fuck that was scary looking when he first stepped off.
JUMP! YOU FUCKERS! http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3014/2907411559_117ac480b5.jpg
you didnt jump, some one else did!
BTFD!
I see green shoots.
The dude is taking the $100 bills with him, and then he's gonna announce that he's really D.B. Cooper
OT MUST READ: Former FDIC chairwoman writes new book, and says, " “The balance of power has shifted too far in favor of large financial interests in Washington,” she said in the interview. “The bailouts, and the quantitative easing that continues, have overwhelmingly benefited the upper classes. Workers, homeowners, small businesses have by and large been left to fend for themselves.” "
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/14/business/sheila-bairs-big-questions-ab...
Roughly 1h 37m into the launch the narrator tells us the pilot canot control the ascend, because it's merely a balloon. The only thing he can do is drop ballast. Yet at the same time they show the capsule interior full of displays, buttons and switches.
Makes me think of the Fed chairman Ben Bernanke. Surrounded by a fancy looking array of controls, yet they all do one single thing.
Now tell me, Ben, which button controls the wind?
More like which button controls gravity
After 50 million plus dollars I think he might have pennies to throw to the adoring crowds.
Pretty damn cool though. I couldn't think of a better way to spend it if you've got it. It would be a good blow off.
"I've been to Mount St Everest."
"Oh yeah Mofo? I've jumped from space. Top that shit."
It's an experience that can only be followed with wine, women and song. Even if you are poorer for it in terms of cash.
His plan now is to settle down with his woman, fly Mountain S&R missions, and fight fires in the US and...Austria. The good life.
You kidding me? You seen his handbag, she's up for replacement. It would be like those chicks that muggle onto guys going through med school. Once the deed is done, dropped like a bad habit once the degree is in hand. LOL!
At this point the amount of trim he'll be picking up will be insane. Goodbye wife, hello attractive recepticle.
Hey Nineteen
That's 'Retha Franklin
She don't remember
The Queen of Soul
It's hard times befallen
The sole survivors
She thinks I'm crazy
But I'm just growing old
Hey Nineteen
No we got nothing in common
No we can't talk at all
Please take me along
When you slide on down
The Cuervo Gold
The fine Colombian
Make tonight a wonderful thing
No we can't dance together
No we can't talk at all...
You know what cures erectile disfunction in 40+ year old men.
18 year old woman. Lather, rinse and repeat if necessary
As a friend of mine from Texas used to say, "our last ex-wives haven't been born yet!"
"I've been to Mount St Everest."
"Oh yeah Mofo? I've jumped from space. Top that shit."
Priceless.. ;)
I've been to Mount St Everest."
"Oh yeah Mofo? I've jumped from space. Top that shit."
"I print money."
Win
He's jumping!!
There's a dead pool open now.
When I saw him flat spinning, I thought for sure he was scrambled eggs...
Well, he didn't break any records other than rich guy in space.
oh well...again. Pretty damn sweet. I don't think he'll be getting a refund or anything back.
Highest jump
Highest manned baloon flight
Oh yeah, missed those. Working on the math pieces for speed and pressure while the announcer was chattering on.
v nought (t) + (a (t)^2)/2 = position
0 + 9.8 (120)^2 = 141,120 m - 141.12 km
No speed records though, damn fast. And now repeatable. Can't wait for the well armed and armoured version complete grenades and a platoon jumping now that the test has been accomplished.
Because that's next.
I feel for the guy who gets the red suit, courtesy of the federation :)
There are traffic jams on the Mt. Everest nowadays, I shit you not. Fucking ridiculous.
Let's see how long before it gets crowded in space.
Rich lawyers being shot into space is fine with me. We'll make a missle defense sheld out of them.
I am Spaceship Ben and this is Jackass!
..
Are we there yet?
He made it. New record holder.
''Will Felix be dropping 100 dollar bills from his capsule?''
It's impossible. He is Austrian.
Indeed. The capsule must be made of solid gold.
I really hope this doesn't turn into an Icarus moment for Felix/Red Bull/et.al. That would be a very shitty omen me thinks.
In saying that Felix has massive balls.
Meaningless diversion. Fuck him.
Fake
sorry couldn't help myself. :-)
Now that he's officially the worlds greatest diver, will he be signing for Real Madrid football club?
Is this Red Bullish?
It's barbed wire tattoo on the arm, xtreme bullish.
To the max.
Balloon = bubble.
He is Austrian though, so I assume this is a real savings induced balloon and the descent is natural dynamics and over within 5 minutes.
We should be so lucky to just get it "over with."
Gravity won't be denied bichez!
Gravity. It's the law. What goes up....
The law of gravity is just a piece of pap-a-a-a-a-a-a!
Chartered Accountancy was just not for him.
Unchartered Freefall might do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gi_QqX5ioWM
That dude has balls made of solid, 24-karat brass.
"At IMF meeting, (Bernanke) rebuts criticism that asset purchases and low interest rates are mainly driving capital flows to emerging-market economies."
No THAT dude has ballz of steal
I was going to make some smart –ass comment about some suicide guy with a “backpack” that could easily be turned into a cheap steerable “ballistic missile” so to speak – I wonder if that is even possible.
Sorry about ruining a good story becuase I still made the smart-ass comment.
not smart-ass at all. weaponizing humans by dropping them from space has been a key military objective ever since wwii.
hope your taint boil is doing better.
the ones in the ear canal totally suck.
Military parachuting (been there, done that - class of 1961) is standard - 1200 feet exit (training) down to 400 feet if ground fire is expected and HALO (name of program back in the day of High Altitude, Low Opening) i.e. skydiving. The best (then) skydivers in the world were on the Fort Bragg 82nd Airborne paragliding team btw, and they participated in the early tests of what is now called high altitude 'insertion', semi-standard stuff for special ops forces. Those jumps are from 40,000 - 50,000 feet. Getting higher than that in aircraft that allow full combat equipment jumps is not really possible with today's gear, and deemed not necessary, cause 40K, or even 35 K (commercial airline higheth) would not be monitored for jumpable ac in typical combat use. There has been a lot of development in this, but 40Kish seems 'standard' for HALO operations these days - Seal teams even jump with their dog from this altitude (yes, the dog has his own O2 supply and little strapped-on face mask).
The really high altitude stuff (over 50 K) involves aircraft that fly a lot faster than most jump ac, or a lot slower, like a ballon. Ballons that will get you there are not too predictable as to flight path, and have somewhat limited range under normal operating conditions,, and require lots of ground ops, and do not seem a viable insertion mechanism, even for our high-spending government. Jumping from (not bailing out of) a very high flying aircraft, especially with a significant amount of combat gear, is a difficult technical problem - and that is an understatement. Anything a human can do in the way of combat in these circumstances can probably now be better and a lot cheaper accomplished by drones. An intelligence mission, where you just want to get a guy in - maybe useful, but probably not being pursued too vigorously these days, there are easier ways to move information around...
First, I have tremendous respect for Felix--he had the balls to jump.
Having said that, his jump made me think that an ex-military jumper would have been preferable. Felix--who actually jumped from over 24-fucking-miles up--didn't come off well. First, there was that initial long period of non-responsivlness. Then, he wasn't handling Kittinger's checklist properly with acknowledgements and status updates. It made him look scared, even though he had the courage to work through any fear and do what needed to be done.
Perhaps I'm pointing out the irrelevant, but this was a media event and appearances count.
Why is this such a big deal? pardon my suspicion with bullshit like this, keep an eye open for other events in the meantime.
Exactly. The point is?
The earth sucks?
interesting they are going to watch a ballooon going up for 3 hours now LOL, the mind boggles.
I've been to such events. While everyone's heads are high, some midget is making his way though the crowd, picking pockets.
That midget got smarter. This time, hes printing money.
WilliamBanzai7 needs to work with that graphic... it has MASSIVE win written all over it.
First thing I'd draw in is the 'shit bucket' on the spacesuit... Gully Folle to show up in 5...4...3...2... to tell all ZH'ers that they need to either attempt this stunt, move to Detroit, or STFU...
Fly safe rocket man.
Ah, this guy is Felix - a skydiver. Rocket man is a French (or Swiss) guy that flys with stubby six foot wings and two small rockets - also a skydiver, and a commercial airline pilot.
I was a skydiver in the early '60s (C-1415 for anyone in the sport), and was well aware and impressed with Kittenger's jump (still am), who had a LOT less tech and publicity - just a military guy doing valuable research. Purists said, because he jumped with a ballut (small stabilizing drouge chute) it was not technically a free-fall, but I always called bs on that. It was a bitchin' long-ass free fall.
My highest jump was from 15,000 feet - about as high as GA aircraft could get you in those days without being on full-time O2 - we had a bail-out bottle to pass around above 10K because the plane climbed really slowly above 10 grand with 4 jumpers aboard - a 75 second delay. Usually we jumped from 12,500 = 60 second delay, didn't take near as long; those last few thousand feet were a bitch for the old plane. Was a lot of fun.
I hope Felix gets his jump this time. The waiting and cancellations must be a bitch...
I thought Elton John was rocket man, both literally and figuratively.
I guess I'm getting old...
Let's hope this guy isn't a space oddity
My wife sez: Fukken bored crazy ass white guys.
I sez: (being a white guy) Well ........
PopCorn & Beer!
Red BULL money grab.. pays the bar tab
Even at terminal velocity, that's plenty of opportunity for a decent marksman.
"SPAM in a can."
I'd love to try it!
i hope the shute dont open
Incredibly dumb fucking comment, but just for ducks, why?
It ain't government money (i.e. your tax dollars at work) getting spent here, it's private, and yes, advertising. Red Bull was the first major outfit to sponsor paragliding, and helped, and continues to help, a number of my friends who are pro or semi-pro in a somewhat (especially in the risk-averse US of A) marginalized sport get by. (I did 13 years of paragliding.) I used to drink it, back in the day, have sort of gotten away with it - but if you don't like the idea of the jump, don't watch - and don't buy Red Bull. Simple.
But why wish death on the jumper? Do you have personal grudge against Felix? Did he steal your girl, if you ever had one? Why the fuck hope a guy who has spent the last several years of his life preparing for this has a malfunction (more or less at the end) and dies?
And it's 'chute' moron, as in parachute.
Sheesh.
"I hope Bernanke's chute don't open".....
There, I fixed it for you.
Dick.
just felt a little trollish is all.
some guy did all this in the 60's before the space shots, and thery make it like this is something amazing. but then i guess getting to the moon is lost tech as well. maybe usa can do that again and we can all watch. and cheer?
Good luck Felix. Wish for your success.
Honestly, I worry over the following
Scary sht, the CB radio is sick!
He will be loosely strapped with a large amount of recently stolen $100 dollar bills from the Federal Reserve.
Ben is taking QE supersonic.
I say keep going. Get off of this rock while you can.
'Americans' should come with some pompous phrasing about that stuff: a short dive for this 'american', a long term drowning for humanity.
Usually, 'americans' love to pimp how their entertainment is so vital and conductive of better way of life for the whole humanity so...
All your austrian are belong to us!
"And the papers want to know whose shirts you wear"
Space Oddity
But in space, no one can hear you scream. Seriously, I wish him the best. It is the crazy adventurers of our species that inspire (even if we sometimes think their nuts) others to do great things. "Great things" might involve being an exceptional parent, an exceptional business owner or employee, a warrior, an inventor, or what have you. God's speed, stay safe and enjoy the ride.
thats what I call getting high,get er done felix!
Better link: http://www.redbullstratos.com/live/
thanks much!
Ditto. +1 Thanks.
Sponsors are throwing around a lot of money to make this happen. Gives new meaning to the phrase "trickle down."
Thanks Tyer. this shit is so cool. Discovery Channel is covering it to.
I'm suspended two feet above the ground on a foam mattress. Where is my press coverage?
I hear he is being sponsored by Bernache as part of QE to infinity
America sure needs a real hero.
I need a hero song..
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OBwS66EBUcY
Bonnie Tyler.... Super Star that never quite got her due - a hero, herself (just IMO)
So we can send a guy 23 miles up to skydive, land a rover on mars, computer technology in our pockets, and we still cannot get away from the combustable engine. Sweet work.
Combustible engine?!
Felix is actually printing USD's in his capsule in an experiment to find out if the dollar devalues in a vacuum..
Fed making plans to evacuate to the space station as we speak..
Red Bernacke Bull sponsored..
The elite will need the pocket computer technology to parachute down to mars when the oil runs out on this planet.
I can't wait to see the looks on their faces when they drill down and hit TUNGSTEN!
So...if he passes out don't they have a parachute that can deploy using an altimeter?
If I were doing the jump, I'd want that.
Brave man, I couldn't do it.
FUCK! HE cant feel heat in his legs!
Transitory...
This is better action than the naked disintegration of the Bretton Woods-Federal Reserve Note monetary system!
Anybody know at what altitude he jumps?
121440 ft
Cheers
36.500 meter: "Now it's time to leave the capsule if you dare" (David Bowie, Space Oddity)
I wonder who has first dibs on the capsule? That thing is probably all aluminum billet.
I think Congres can be packed up and sent up there and never to return back to earth.
But who's the daredevil taking the pictures from the side?
Some stupid Amerikan with a IPhone5
You dont quite appreciate the facebook value of this. Also, yesterdays Endeavour parade in LA.
The TSA.
Interesting to ponder about the time, materials, capital, and logistics needed to make this kind of thing possible.
Day to day, in general for people, there is little moment to moment realization of how singular (as analogous to mathematical singularities) events in a life are and how dense the matrix of direct and contingent effect is (both the physical known and non physical unknown) that begets a present moment.
Where did they find this narrator, who makes this suicide a boring dragged out affair?
CNN or MSNBC or CNBC or Fox
You've been mediated by the 'style" of commercial "professional" presenters.
Don't leave home, it's suicidal out there.
Joseph Goebbels is back and he resides in the USSA. He is part of the the Media Matters.
Enter the coordinates in google maps like this: 33.3184, -103.7110
He's currently heading towards Lubecock, Texas
He is back in NM
He's heading west to Hollywood.
I wonder how fast one share of Facebook stock will fall if tossed out at 23 miles. Will it beat Felix back to Earth?
Mother natures adheres to terminal velocity, the markets don't.
Release of a FacePlant share is not advised during the mission. In the vacuum of common sense, upon release of the share, it would quickly exceed multiple mach and the resultant shock wave would destabilize the local mission.
Don't do it.
It's now what it looks like!
... oh wait! You weren't talking to me, were you?
He's getting too close to the Sun so the temp is going up. I'd be scared.
I wonder is Xenu is watching this from the Exosphere? Just askin?
hear that ZH? You are a leading website on the internets.
Xenu reads ZH? Really
I wonder if you dropped Congress members from that altitude will they survive? No fucking oxygen congress
Give 'em hair transplants on the way up for something to trickle down do whilst making everybody bored...
This would be an awesome new hobby for the TBTF banksters. I volunteer to pack the chutes.
Good luck, Felix.
Start with Carlyle Grp and then the rest.
Given how fast a failure event could develop, I wonder why an automated ejection capability seems not included? Prior successful experience in the trial runs?
Should have done a run with a banker or a congress member such as Pelosi.
I am gratified to see that he is Austrian. He has a much better chance of success than, say, a Keynesian.
LOL.
I pray he lands on Bernanke.
... from behind ...
And capsule still climbing it's at 128,000 ft ---- 8,000 ft more then suppose to be