Red Bull Stratos

[iggyformayor]

Felix Baumgartner is preparing to attempt a 120,000 foot free fall from the edge of space and he will break the speed of sound in the process. They're just waiting for the wind to die down for him to launch.

http://www.youtube.com/user/redbull?v=vkJ5ItzEq3M

This is going to be awesome.

[polak]

In before the "falling" and "jumping" puns.

[Azure]

I think it just got aborted for today.

[iggyformayor]

Originally Posted by Azure

I think it just got aborted for today.

Yep. Gusty winds.

[polak]

Abort for today.
Just like back in 2008 when the other guy was going to try and break the record.
The conditions for this kind of jump have to be PERFECT. I wouldn't be suprised if it took another 3 or 4 attempts or if it was scrapped completely until a later date.

[Azure]

They had a window to get it up, but there was equipment failure or something. Then the winds started again.

[Regulator75]

Can't wait to finally see this.

[Northendzone]

so hwen he lands can he do the usain bolt pose?

anywyas, this seems like a wild rush that i will never know the feeling of.

I wonder what his target zone is for the landing?

[North East Goon]

How many are watching this hoping to see the mission fail?

[HotHotHeat]

I was watching this morning. The whole thing looks sketchy as hell.

[T@T]

Originally Posted by iggyformayor

Yep. Gusty winds.

Color me surprised there would be gusty winds somewhere in the 0-120k range

[3 Justin 3]

After breaking the sound barrier how the hell does he slow down? Is he going super fast until he breaks a certain atmospheric level (I forget what all the zones are called) then he just reaches terminal velocity within Earths atmosphere (which would be less than Mach 1).

I'd do it.

[Pierre "Monster" McGuire]

I too am wondering where his landing zone is going to be... Back in Roswell? That's like trying to shoot a penny from a kilometre away!

[polak]

Originally Posted by Pierre "Monster" McGuire

I too am wondering where his landing zone is going to be... Back in Roswell? That's like trying to shoot a penny from a kilometre away!

They said they have a team specifically responsible for calculating his trajectory so I'm pretty sure they're prepared for a large landing area.

[Travis Munroe]

Has this guy achieved everything in life and is now pushing the limits or is he flat broke and knows he becomes a instant millionaire the second he lands??

[polak]

He's a base jumper. He's done some publicity stunts but obviously nothing of this magnitude.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by 3 Justin 3

After breaking the sound barrier how the hell does he slow down? Is he going super fast until he breaks a certain atmospheric level (I forget what all the zones are called) then he just reaches terminal velocity within Earths atmosphere (which would be less than Mach 1).

I'd do it.

he's only able to break the sound barrier because of how thin the upper atmosphere is. the lower he descends, the thicker the air gets which slows him down until the point where he reaches "normal" terminal velocity. by that point it's a regular skydive

[Azure]

Holy tough crowd.

There is a lot of 'science' that this guy is helping advance by doing this jump. Geez.

[bossy22]

Some of his accomplishments.

1997 – World champion title for BASE jumping in West Virginia, United States
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)
2001 – Nominated for a World Sports Award in London, England (category: Extreme Sports)
2003 – Channel Crossing, Dover, England to Calais, France; first winged freefall crossing of the English Channel
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)
2007 – BASE jump from world’s tallest building, Taipei 101 Tower, Taipei, Taiwan (1,669 feet)

[polak]

When is Round 2?