Felix Baumgartner
Felix Baumgartner | |
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![]() A mannequin wearing the suit Felix Baumgartner used to cross the English Channel | |
Nickname(s) | B.A.S.E. 502 Fearless Felix |
Born | Salzburg, Austria | 20 April 1969
Felix Baumgartner (German: [felɪks baʊmgaːɐtnəʁ]; born 20 April 1969) is an Austrian skydiver, daredevil and BASE jumper. He set the world record for skydiving an estimated 39 kilometres (24 mi), reaching an estimated speed of 1,342 kilometres per hour (834 mph), or Mach 1.24, on 14 October 2012.[3] He is also renowned for the particularly dangerous nature of the stunts he has performed during his career. Baumgartner spent time in the Austrian military where he practiced parachute jumping, including training to land on small target zones.
Baumgartner's most recent project was Red Bull Stratos, in which he jumped to Earth from a helium balloon in the stratosphere on 14 October 2012. As part of this project, he set the altitude record for a manned balloon flight,[4] parachute jump from the highest altitude, and greatest free fall velocity.
Biography
Baumgartner was born on 20 April 1969 in Salzburg, Austria.[5]
In 1999 he claimed the world record for the highest parachute jump from a building when he jumped from the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.[6] On 31 July 2003, Baumgartner became the first person to skydive across the English Channel using a specially made carbon fiber wing.[7] He also set the world record for the lowest BASE jump ever, when he jumped 95 feet (29 m) from the hand of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.[8]
He became the first person to BASE jump from the completed Millau Viaduct in France on 27 June 2004[9] and the first person to skydive onto, then BASE jump from, the Turning Torso building in Malmö, Sweden on 18 August 2006.[10] On 12 December 2007 he became the first person to jump from the 91st floor observation deck of the then-tallest completed building in the world, Taipei 101 in Taipei, Taiwan.[11]
Red Bull Stratos
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/a2/Baumgartner_RBSjump.jpg/220px-Baumgartner_RBSjump.jpg)
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.[12]
Test jumps
On 15 March 2012 Baumgartner completed the first of two test jumps from 71,581 feet (21,818 m). During the jump he spent approximately three minutes and 43 seconds in free fall, reaching speeds of more than 360 miles per hour (580 km/h), 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 13.5 miles (21.7 km).[13]
On 25 July 2012, Baumgartner completed the second of two planned test jumps from 96,640 feet (29,460 m). 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.[14]
Main jump
The launch was originally scheduled for 9 October 2012, but was aborted due to adverse weather conditions. Launch was rescheduled and the mission instead took place on 14 October 2012 when Baumgartner landed in eastern New Mexico after jumping from a world record 39,045 metres (128,100 ft) or just over 39 kilometres (24 mi).[15][16] On the basis of provisional data, Baumgartner also set the record for the highest manned balloon flight (at the same height) and fastest speed of free fall at 1,342 kilometres per hour (834 mph) making him the first human to break the sound barrier outside of a vehicle.[17][18][19] Baumgartner was in free fall for 4 minutes and 19 seconds, 17 seconds shy of mentor Joseph Kittinger's 1960 jump.[17]
Training for the jump
Baumgartner initially struggled with claustrophobia after spending time in the pressurized suit required for the jump, but overcame it with help from a sports psychologist and other specialists.[15]
See also
- Eugene Andreev, the former record holder for the longest-distance free fall jump
- Michel Fournier, who has been working on a 25-mile (40 km) jump for several years.
- Joseph Kittinger, set records for highest balloon ascent and highest parachute jump. Served as adviser and capsule communicator to Felix Baumgartner.
- Yves Rossy, the first man to cross the English Channel using a jet-powered wing
- Steve Truglia, English stuntman who was planning a similar space jump
- Project Manhigh, pre-NASA military project that took men in balloons to the middle layers of Earth's stratosphere. Participants set altitude and parachute jump records.
References
- ^ http://en.m.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Jewish_surnames
- ^ http://www.themodernnovel.com/indian/desai/bombay.htm
- ^ Figures delivered by Brian Utley, representative of the National Aeronautics Association, the US arm of the international organization of record, the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale), at press conference by Red Bull Stratos, streamed online at http://www.redbullstratos.com on 14 October 2012
- ^ Tierney, John. "Daredevil Prepares to Jump Nearly 25 Miles". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ "Felix Baumgartner". redbull.co.uk. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ "Archive: 1999". felixbaumgartner.com. Retrieved 23 March 2012.
- ^ "Birdman Flies Atair Parachutes Across English Channel". Atairaerospace.com. 21 November 2003. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- ^
"The Man Who Would Fall to Earth". Esquire. 14 July 2010. p. 4. Retrieved 14 July 2010.
he leapt from the outstretched hand of O Cristo Redentor, the ninety-eight-foot-tall statue that looms over Rio de Janeiro... the final product was... a world record—lowest BASE jump ever
- ^ Millau Viaduct
- ^ "Pr-jippo kan sluta med åtal". 18 August 2006. Retrieved 5 December 2010. Template:Sv icon
- ^ "Extreme Felix Baumgartner jumping off Taipei 101". YouTube. Retrieved 18 May 2010.
- ^ Choi, Charles Q (22 January 2010). "'Space diver' to attempt first supersonic freefall". New Scientist. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Dunn, Marcia (25 July 2012). "Skydiver Fearless Felix jumps from 18 miles up". Associated Press. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
- ^ a b Tierney, John (14 October 2012). "Daredevil Jumps, and Lands on His Feet". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ Llorca, Juan Carlos (14 October 2012). "Skydiver Lands Safely After 24-Mile Leap to Earth". Associated Press. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ a b Irvine, Chris (14 October 2012). "Felix Baumgartner: Daredevil in record-breaking free fall attempt: live". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ Tierney, John (14 October 2012). "Daredevil Jumps, and Lands on His Feet". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
- ^ Chakraborty, Upal (14 October 2012). "Faster than Sound Sky Diving". JolChobi Social News. Retrieved 14 October 2012.
External links
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Media related to Felix Baumgartner at Wikimedia Commons
- Official website
- Red Bull Stratos Project
- WC News Story – Felix Baumgartner
- Video (03:14) – Felix Jump – Christ Statue – Rio de Janeiro – 14 July 2010.