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Coordinates: 33°18′39″N 104°32′21″W / 33.3109°N 104.5392°W / 33.3109; -104.5392
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{{Infobox news event
{{Infobox news event
| title = Red Bull Stratos
| title = Red Bull Stratos
| image = [[File:RedBullStratos.png]]
| image = [[File:Red Bull Stratos logo.svg]]
| image_name =
| image_name =
| image_size = 220px
| image_size = 220px

Revision as of 13:01, 15 October 2012

Red Bull Stratos
Project logo
Date14 October 2012 (2012-10-14)
LocationLaunch site:
Roswell International Air Center, Roswell, New Mexico, United States
CoordinatesLaunch site:
33°18′39″N 104°32′21″W / 33.3109°N 104.5392°W / 33.3109; -104.5392
Also known asMission to the edge of space
ParticipantsFelix Baumgartner
OutcomeBalloon altitude record and sound barrier broken
Websiteredbullstratos.com

Red Bull Stratos was a project involving Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner. Baumgartner flew approximately 39 kilometres (24 mi)[1][2] into the stratosphere over New Mexico, United States in a helium balloon before free falling in a pressure suit and then parachuting to Earth.[3] Reaching 1342 km/h (833.9 mph)—Mach 1.095—Baumgartner broke the sound barrier on his descent,[4] thus becoming the first human to do so without vehicular power.[3][5] Baumgartner's claims are still however subject to verification by the FAI, which takes time. Baumgartner also attempted to break three other world records—the highest manned balloon flight, the highest altitude jump, and the longest time in free fall. The free fall was initially expected to last between five and six minutes;[6] it ended after 4:19 when Baumgartner deployed his parachute.[1] The total jump (until contact was made with the ground) lasted approximately ten minutes.[1]

Retired USAF Colonel Joseph Kittinger, unofficial holder of three of the records from his 1959–1960 Project Excelsior jumps, was Baumgartner's mentor and primary contact at mission control during the ascent and jump. Baumgartner also broke the unofficial record for highest manned balloon flight (123,500 feet, 37642 meters, 23.39 miles)[7][8][9][10] set by Nick Piantanida. However, Baumgartner fell around 10 seconds short of reaching the longest free fall record set in 1962 by the late Soviet Air Force colonel Eugene Andreev as documented under Record ID 1623 in FAI Record Database .

The proposed launch on 9 October 2012 was delayed and then postponed to a later date due to unfavourable weather.[11] The launch occurred at 09:30 MDT (15:30 UTC) on 14 October 2012.[12][13] Baumgartner touched down at 12:17 MDT (18:17 UTC).

History

In January 2010, it was reported that Baumgartner was working with a team of scientists and sponsor Red Bull to attempt the highest sky-dive on record.[14] Baumgartner was going to make the 36,600 m (120,100 ft) jump from a capsule suspended from a balloon filled with helium, intending to become the first parachutist to break the sound barrier.[15][16][17] On 12 October 2010, Red Bull announced it was placing the project on hold after Daniel Hogan filed a lawsuit in California Superior Court in Los Angeles, California, USA in April, claiming he originated the idea of the parachute dive from the edge of space in 2004 and that Red Bull stole the idea from him.[18][19] The lawsuit was resolved out of court in June 2011[20] and on 5 February 2012, it was reported that the project would be resumed.[21]

Preparation

On 15 March 2012, Baumgartner completed the first of two test jumps, from 21,818 metres (71,581 ft). During the jump, he spent approximately three minutes and 43 seconds in free fall, claiming to have reached speeds of more than 580 kilometres per hour (360 mph), before opening his parachute. In total, the jump lasted approximately eight minutes and eight seconds and Baumgartner became only the third person to safely parachute from a height of over 21.7 kilometres (13.5 mi).[22]

On 25 July 2012, Baumgartner completed the second of two planned test jumps, from 29,460 metres (96,650 ft). It took Baumgartner about 90 minutes to reach the target altitude and his free fall was estimated to have lasted three minutes and 48 seconds before his parachutes were deployed. Baumgartner landed safely near Roswell, New Mexico, USA. His top speed was an estimated 863 kilometres per hour (536 mph) according to Brian Utley, an official observer on site. The jump represented a personal best for Baumgartner.[23][24][25] Joseph Kittinger, who parachuted from 31,300 m (102,800 feet) in 1960, became involved with the mission to advise Baumgartner and to help gather scientific data on next-generation full pressure suits.[14][26]

Mission

Aborted launch

The project's original scheduled launch on the morning of 9 October 2012 was delayed five hours because of weather problems. Technicians at the launch site also found that one of the capsule's communication radios was faulty.[27] At 11:42 MDT,[12] the launch was aborted due to a 40-kilometre-per-hour (25 mph) gust of wind at the launch site.[28] The launch was rescheduled for the morning of 11 October,[11] though the project's meteorologist announced that the date would again be postponed.[29]

Launch

The capsule was launched at 09:30 MDT (15:30 UTC) on 14 October.[12] The weather at launch was clear, with south-easterly winds blowing at 5.5 kilometres per hour (3.4 mph).[13] The ground temperature was 14 °C (57 °F).[13] Baumgartner's ascent took approximately 2.5 hours,[30] after which the capsule levelled at approximately 38 kilometres (24 mi).[30] A valve in the balloon was used to vent gas to control the ascent.[31]

Shortly after passing the Armstrong limit, Baumgartner expressed concerns that his visor heater was not functioning properly. Mission control continued with the mission, and 40 minutes later announced that the jump would continue regardless of the reported problem.[31] An abort procedure—which would have seen helium vented from the balloon to allow the capsule to descend—was considered.[31]

After approximately 2 1/2 hours of ascent, Baumgartner and mission control began the egress procedures. This involved depressurisation of the capsule, detachment of his umbilical air supplies, and adjusting the capsule interior ready for decamp.[31] As the final checks were being undertaken, Kittinger said to Baumgartner, "OK, we're getting serious now, Felix".[4]

Jump and descent

Fifteen minutes after the egress checks began, the pressure between the capsule and the outside stabilised and the door opened.[31] One of the last items was for Baumgartner to enable his suit cameras. With this, Kittinger radioed Baumgartner for the last time:[13]

Start the cameras, and our guardian angel will take care of you.

Standing on the step of the capsule, Baumgartner made a short address:[4][13][32]

I know the whole world is watching now. I wish you could see what I can see. Sometimes you have to be up really high to understand how small you are... I'm coming home now.

At 12:08 MDT and at an altitude of 39 kilometres, Baumgartner jumped from the capsule. These images span the first five seconds of the jump.

Baumgartner saluted and dived forward off the ledge at 12:08 MDT (18:08 UTC);[4] Mission Control acknowledged this by saying "jumper away".[13] After 42 seconds of descent, Baumgartner reached his maximum velocity—an unverified 1,342 kilometres per hour (834 mph).[5] Within two minutes, he appeared to enter an uncontrolled spin which, if uncorrected, could have been fatal.[4][6] Baumgartner successfully righted the spin, though in a later press conference he likened the fall in the suit to "swimming without feeling the water" as he could not feel the air to give him a sense of direction.[13] He later revealed that he had an abort switch that would have allowed deployment of a drogue parachute which would have arrested the spin.[4]

After 03:40 of free fall, Baumgartner radioed to Mission Control that his visor was fogging up, echoing his earlier concerns about its heating.[32] After 04:19 minutes of free fall, he deployed his parachute—approximately one minute earlier than anticipated, which would have broken the longest duration free fall record held by the Eugene Andreev.[4] At 12:17 MDT (18:17 UTC), approximately 11 minutes after jumping from the capsule, Baumgartner landed successfully on his feet in eastern New Mexico.[33] Baumgartner dropped to his knees and punched the air before being met by ground crews.[4][13] A helicopter was dispatched to return Baumgartner to the Roswell base.[5]

According to YouTube, the jump was viewed live by over 8 million users, setting a record for "live stream with the most concurrent views ever on YouTube".[34][35]

Analysis

After preliminary analysis, it was announced that Baumgartner broke three of the four planned records—the highest manned balloon flight, the first human to break the sound barrier without the assistance of a vehicle, and the highest skydive.[31] He did not break the record for longest free fall. The live stream of the event attracted a record 8 million views.[36]

Officials from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) are analysing data from the descent.[4] If confirmed, the jump statistics Baumgartner will have attained will be:

  • Maximum altitude of 39.045 kilometres (24.261 mi)
  • Maximum speed of 1,342.8 kilometres per hour (834.4 mph), which corresponds to Mach 1.095
  • Total free fall time of 4 minutes 20 seconds
  • Total free fall distance of 36,529 metres (119,846 ft)

Baumgartner's free fall time of 4 minutes 20 seconds was 10 seconds short of the current record. The FAI announced that confirmation of exact times and altitudes could take several weeks. The data will firstly be evaluated by the Austrian Aeroclub (ÖAeC) since Felix Baumgartner is Austrian citizen and will then be confirmed by the FAI. While the reported values may change on verification, there was no doubt that Baumgartner broke the sound barrier.[37]

Timeline

The timeline for the mission was split into eight stages.[38] Phases 1 and 2 covered the balloon's ascent, phases 3–7 covered the descent and landing, and phase 8 covered the return of the balloon and capsule:

  1. Launch of balloon with Baumgartner in capsule suspended below canopy
    • Successfully completed at approximately 09:30 MDT (15:30 UTC)
  2. Balloon reaches maximum altitude[38]—39,045 metres (128,100 ft)—after a 2.5-hour ascent
    • Successfully completed (39.045 kilometres (24.261 mi) reached[1])
  3. Baumgartner de-pressurises the capsule, opens the door and jumps
    • Successfully completed (jumped from capsule at approximately 12:07 MDT (18:07 UTC))
  4. At approximately 30,000 metres (98,000 ft), Baumgartner reaches the speed of sound
    • Successfully achieved Mach 1.095—1,342 kilometres per hour (834 mph)[39]—after approximately 00:40 of freefall
  5. After approximately 3:30 of freefall, air resistance slows Baumgartner as the atmosphere becomes denser
    • Parachute deployed at 4:22, one minute earlier than scheduled, preventing this milestone from being reached
  6. Baumgartner deploys his parachute at approximately 1,500 metres (4,900 ft)
    • Successfully completed
  7. Approximately 10:00 of controlled parachute descent until landing
    • Successfully completed at approximately 12:17 MDT (18:17 UTC)
  8. Mission control remotely detach the balloon from the capsule; both descend to Earth to be recovered
    • Successfully completed

Raw Data

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d Michelson, Megan (14 October 2012). "Baumgartner makes record freefall". ESPN. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Felix Baumgartner to make space jump attempt on Sunday". The Telegraph. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
  3. ^ a b Henderson, Barney; Irvine, Chris (9 October 2012). "Skydiver Felix Baumgartner attempts to break sound barrier: latest". Telegraph. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i Irvine, Chris (14 October 2012). "Felix Baumgartner: Daredevil in record-breaking free fall attempt: live". Telegraph. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  5. ^ a b c Amos, Jonathan (14 October 2012). "Skydiver Felix Baumgartner lands highest ever jump". BBC. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  6. ^ a b Smith, Chris (9 October 2012). "Red Bull Stratos Live Blog: Watch Felix Baumgartner Break Speed Of Sound". Forbes. Retrieved 9 October 2012. Cite error: The named reference "Smith 2012" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  7. ^ Ryan, Craig (2003). The Pre-Astronauts: Manned Ballooning on the Threshold of Space. Naval Institute Press. pp. 258–269. ISBN 978-1591147480.
  8. ^ Ryan, Craig (2003). Magnificent Failure: Free Fall from the Edge of Space. Smithsonian Books. ISBN 978-1588341419.
  9. ^ Betancourt, Mark (2012). Air & Space Magazine http://www.airspacemag.com/flight-today/Bullet-Man.html?c=y&page=1. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ "Chutist Changes Mind 123,500 Feet in Sky". New York Times. 2 February 1966. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  11. ^ a b Tierney, John. "New Mexico: Skydiver Delays 22-Mile Jump". The New York Times. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  12. ^ a b c "Launch Progress". Red Bull Stratos. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h "Mission to the Edge of Space: Live". Red Bull Stratos. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  14. ^ a b Choi, Charles Q. (22 January 2010). "'Space diver' to attempt first supersonic freefall". New Scientist. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  15. ^ Diaz, Jesus (22 January 2010). "Man to Break Sound Barrier Jumping from Edge of Space". Gizmodo.com. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  16. ^ Paterson, Tony (25 January 2010). "Faster than the speed of sound: the man who falls to earth". The Independent. London. Retrieved 29 January 2010.
  17. ^ Quain, John R. (11 April 2010). "Daredevil to Plunge From Outer Space in Supersonic Suit". Fox News. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
  18. ^ Pasztor, Andy (12 October 2010). "Lawsuit Grounds Red Bull". The Wall Street Journal.
  19. ^ "Statement regarding Red Bull Stratos" (Press release). Retrieved 5 December 2010.
  20. ^ "Official statement on closing of legal case" (Press release). Red Bull Stratos. 30 June 2011.
  21. ^ Gray, Richard (5 February 2012). "Sky diver to break sound barrier with jump from edge of space". The Daily Telegraph.
  22. ^ Dunn, Marcia (15 March 2012). "Skydiver jumps 13.6 miles on path to world's highest jump". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 15 March 2012.
  23. ^ Dunn, Marcia (25 July 2012). "Skydiver Fearless Felix jumps from 18 miles up". Phys.Org. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  24. ^ Squatriglia, Chuck (25 July 2012). "'Fearless Felix' Hits 536 MPH Skydiving From 18 Miles Up". Wired. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  25. ^ Dunn, Marcia (25 July 2012). "Skydiver Fearless Felix jumps from 18 miles up". Yahoo! News. The Associated Press. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  26. ^ Tierney, John (15 March 2010). "A Supersonic Jump, From 23 Miles in the Air". New York Times. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
  27. ^ Stanglin, Doug (9 October 2012). "Supersonic skydive attempt scrubbed by gusty winds". USA Today. Retrieved 13 October 2012.
  28. ^ "Skydiver Cancels Try at Supersonic Jump". The New York Times. Associated Press. 9 October 2012. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  29. ^ "Red Bull Stratos Felix Baumgartner space jump postponed". ABC News. Retrieved 10 October 2012.
  30. ^ a b "Felix Baumgartner lands safely after 24 mile skydive". ITN. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  31. ^ a b c d e f Kolawole, Emi (14 October 2012). "Felix Baumgartner lands after flying faster than the speed of sound (LIVE BLOG)". Washington Post. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  32. ^ a b Rushe, Dominic (14 October 2012). "Felix Baumgartner lands safely after record-breaking jump – as it happened". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  33. ^ "Skydiver Baumgartner breaks record for highest ever parachute jump". The Independent. 14 October 2012. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  34. ^ "YouTube Blog, Mission complete: Red Bull Stratos lands safely back on Earth". Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  35. ^ "Final Numbers Are In: Space Jump Breaks YouTube Record". Retrieved 15 October 2012.
  36. ^ Smith, Catharine (14 October 2012). "Red Bull Stratos YouTube Live Stream Attracts Record Number Of Viewers". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  37. ^ Tierney, John (14 October 2012). "Daredevil Jumps, and Lands on His Feet". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
  38. ^ a b "Mission Red Bull Stratos lifts off in Roswell, New Mexico". Red Bull Stratos Newsroom. Red Bull Media House. Retrieved 9 October 2012.
  39. ^ Kolawole, Emi. "Felix Baumgartner lands after flying faster than the speed of sound". The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
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