Felix Baumgartner: the man who broke the sound barrier.

On the 14th of October, 2012, Felix Baumgartner broke the sound barrier. His ultimate goal, plus three records. He has achieved much in his life. In this article, I'm going to tell you more about this legendary man.

Felix Baumgartner.

Content:
Records and accomplishments
Life
Red Bull Stratos mission

Records and accomplishments

Felix's Record Breaking Jumps and Accomplishments include:

2012 - (July 25) Felix Baumgartner successfully jumped from 18 miles / 29 kilometres above the Earth 97,063 feet / 29,584 meters and completed a free fall at a speed of an airliner - 536 miles or 864 kilometres per hour (latest figures sanctioned by USPA and NAA). This jump was a significant achievement in ballooning history but it also proved that safety and recovery systems are functional in preparation for the 120,000 feet attempt.
2012 - (March 15) First test jump with high altitude balloon and pressurized capsule: Freefall from 71,581 feet over Roswell, NM. Maximum speed: 364.4 mph. Felix is the third person to leap from that altitude and survive.
2007 - BASE jump from world's tallest building, Taipei 101 Tower, Taipei, Taiwan (1,669 feet)
2006 - Felix earned his motorized wings as a helicopter pilot at Twin Air Helicopter School, Van Nuys, USA.
2004 - BASE jump into Marmet Cave in Velebit National Parc, Croatia (623 feet deep)
2004 - World record BASE jump from the highest bridge in the world, Millau Bridge, France (1,125 feet)
2003 - Channel Crossing, Dover, England to Calais, France; first crossing of the English Channel with a carbon wing
2001 - Nominated for a World Sports Award in London, England (category: Extreme Sports)
1999 - World record BASE jump from the Petronas Twin Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1,479 feet)
1999 - World record lowest BASE jump from Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (95 feet)

1997 - World champion title for BASE jumping in West Virginia, United States.

Capsule and balloon.

Life

Born in Salzburg, Austria in 1969, Felix began skydiving at the age of 16 and polished his skills as part of the Austrian military's demonstration and competition team. In 1988, he began performing skydiving exhibitions for Red Bull. The company's out-of-the-box thinking and Felix's adventurous spirit clicked, and they've collaborated ever since.

By the 1990s, Felix felt that he'd gone as far as he could with traditional skydiving, so he extended his canopy skills with BASE jumping - parachuting from a fixed object or landform. He finds that the lightning-fast reflexes and precise techniques required by such low-altitude feats also enhance his high-altitude skydiving technique.

Felix has made world-record BASE jumps and has been nominated for a World Sports Award and two categories in the NEA Extreme Sports Awards. He is also a prominent advocate for the nonprofit Wings for Life Spinal Cord Research Foundation. And, while he acknowledges that the Red Bull Stratos mission is a step into the unknown, his determination to reach the edge of space and break the speed of sound is unshakable. "If Red Bull Stratos is successful, we can share data that hasn't been available ever before," Felix states. "I would be proud to be able to make such a contribution." 

"This is the end of my journey," Felix said. "I've always been trying to find my limit, and this pretty much it. For the second half of my life, I want to be a good helicopter pilot. Fight fires. Rescue people. That would be fun."

The fall and earth.

"ON THE WAY UP WITHOUT EVEN OPENING THE CAPSULE DOOR YOU CAN FIND YOURSELF IN A LIFE OR DEATH SITUATION. SO IT'S EXTREMELY DANGEROUS."  

Mike Todd, Red Bull Stratos Life Support Engineer

Red Bull Stratos mission

What is the mission?

Red Bull Stratos, a mission to the edge of space, will attempt to transcend human limits that have existed for 50 years. Supported by a team of experts Felix Baumgartner plans to ascend to 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and make a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. His attempt to dare atmospheric limits holds the potential to provide valuable medical and scientific research data for future pioneers.

The Red Bull Stratos team brings together the world's leading minds in aerospace medicine, engineering, pressure suit development, capsule creation and balloon fabrication. It includes retired United States Air Force Colonel Joseph Kittinger, who holds three of the records Felix will strive to break.

Although researching extremes was part of the program's goals, setting records wasn't the mission's purpose. 

"WE MAY NOT HAVE BEEN BUILT TO FLY, BUT WE'VE FIGURED OUT A WAY TO FULFILL OUR DESTINY." 

Dr. Jonathan Clark, Red Bull Stratos Medical Director

Mission history

2012

• Second manned test achieved in July, the highest jump and fastest speed for Felix Baumgartner. Altitude: 97,063 feet / 29,584 meters and freefall speed: 536 miles or 864 kilometres per hour (latest figures sanctioned by USAP and NAA).

• First manned test complete in March: Felix freefalls successfully from 71,615 ft (2179 m)
• Unmanned test launches to the stratosphere confirm equipment is ready for manned test jumps.
• Launch site of Roswell, New Mexico, USA revealed.

2011

• Chamber tests are conducted at Brooks-City Base in San Antonio, Texas. Capsule is "man-rated" (confirmed appropriate for human transport) to 121,000 feet.
• Felix Baumgartner intensifies physical, psychological and technical training under direction of Dr. Andy Walshe.
• After several months' downtime, mission team reassesses condition of equipment and analyzes test procedures necessary to verify flight readiness.

2010

• Felix obtains his U.S. gas balloon license.
• Wind tunnel testing/training conducted in pressure suit.

2009

• Felix Baumgartner conducts first high-altitude training in pressure suit, including several parachute jumps from aircraft at 27,000 feet.
• Medical team expands to include six-time Space Shuttle crew surgeon Jon Clark as medical director; development of safety protocols continues.
• Personal parachute system development begins.
• High-altitude helium balloons are secured.

2008

• National Aviation Hall of Fame member and current record holder Col. Joe Kittinger joins Red Bull Stratos team, meets Felix Baumgartner for first time.
• David Clark Company agrees for the first time ever to produce a suit for a non-governmental space program.

2007

• Under the technical direction of Art Thompson, planning and team recruitment begins.
• Capsule development begins at Sage Cheshire Aerospace in Lancaster, California.

2005

• Felix Baumgartner and Red Bull begin to lay the groundwork for a stratospheric freefall that would expand the boundaries of human flight.

"I LOVE A CHALLENGE, AND TRYING TO BECOME THE FIRST PERSON TO BREAK THE SPEED OF SOUND IN FREEFALL IS A CHALLENGE LIKE NO OTHER."

FELIX BAUMGARTNER

Landscape, center and parachute.

Sources: Red Bull Stratos, Live stream, USA today, pictures by me.