Exactly 10 years have passed since Felix Baumgartner accomplished the almost impossible by jumping from the stratosphere. Having ascended on a balloon to a height of almost 39 kilometers, Baumgartner made a jump in a specially designed spacesuit and entered free fall. He then deployed the parachute to land safely. A new documentary shows the leap of the Red Bull Stratos in all its beauty in honor of the 10th anniversary of the event.
Despite the fact that the jump was successful, it was not without serious problems. A few minutes after Baumgartner entered free fall, the parachutist found itself in a “death spin” at a speed close to sound. Such rotation is one of the worst horrors for parachutists, since centrifugal force can lead to rapid loss of consciousness and a fatal catastrophe if you do not have time to pull out the parachute. Eventually, Baumgartner was able to stabilize his fall and gently touched the ground, setting a world record for the longest free fall in history.
The mission was a mixture of real scientific research to understand whether this is possible. This trick proved that the human body can withstand such a free fall. On the other hand, it was the world’s biggest marketing stunt sponsored by the famous Austrian power engineer.
“The jump had a huge impact on the next generation, who dreamed of becoming aerospace engineers or test pilots. In addition, we used the life support system developed in the capsule to change the configuration of life support for high-altitude jet aircraft, including the U—2 scout,” said Art Thompson, technical director of the project.
“We were a very ambitious group of people with a vision that we brought to life. And after so many years of hard work, we finally succeeded. I really think we left a legacy because everyone played an important role in turning Red Bull Stratos into a successful mission. And after 10 years, it’s time to celebrate,” Baumgartner said.
A documentary based on this trick, titled “Space Jump” is now available on the official website of the project.
Earlier we reported on the TOP 5 most ambitious NASA space projects.
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