Sunday I watched as history was made. Felix Baumgartner, or “Fearless Felix” as he is known to friends, finally made his historic free fall jump from the Earth’s stratosphere, breaking a new record for speed, hurtling at Mach 1.24 (834 mph). He also leaped from a height of 128,100 feet.
He was lifted into the stratosphere by a ultra thin 55 story helium balloon. Baumgartner rode inside a pressurized capsule and wore a pressurized suit for the jump.
From 24.24 miles into the atmosphere, with an amazing view, Baumgartner simply dropped from his perch into a free fall breaking the speed of sound as he fell towards the Earth. The distance from which he began his descent was about 40% to outer space. This area is known as the Karman line and is the boundary between Earth’s atmosphere and outer space.
Baumgartner made the jump successfully, landing safely on his feet, falling to his knees and his arms lifted in victory as he accomplished a mission that he has worked on for several months.
Eight point one million viewers were watching simultaneously on YouTube yesterday, along with many others on various other outlets.
Watch the full jump below. It truly is an amazing feat!
