Austria’s Felix Baumgartner earned his place in the history books on Sunday October 14, 2012 after overcoming concerns with the power for his visor heater that impaired his vision and nearly jeopardized the mission. Baumgartner reached an estimated speed of 1,342.8 km/h (834.37 mph) jumping from the stratosphere, which when certified will make him the first man to break the speed of sound in freefall and set several other records (pending official confirmation) while delivering valuable data for future space exploration.
After flying to an altitude of 39,045 meters (128,100 feet) in a helium-filled balloon, Felix Baumgartner completed Sunday morning a record breaking jump for the ages from the edge of space, exactly 65 years after Chuck Yeager first broke the sound barrier flying in an experimental rocket-powered airplane. The 43-year-old Austrian skydiving expert also broke two other world records (highest freefall, highest manned balloon flight), leaving the one for the longest freefall to project mentor Col. Joe Kittinger (4:22 vs 4:36).
“It was an incredible up and down today, just like it’s been with the whole project,” a relieved Baumgartner said. “First we got off with a beautiful launch and then we had a bit of drama with a power supply issue to my visor. The exit was perfect but then I started spinning slowly. I thought I’d just spin a few times and that would be that, but then I started to speed up. It was really brutal at times. I thought for a few seconds that I’d lose consciousness. I didn’t feel a sonic boom because I was so busy just trying to stabilize myself. We’ll have to wait and see if we really broke the sound barrier. It was really a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.”
Baumgartner and his team spent five years training and preparing for the mission that is designed to improve our scientific understanding of how the body copes with the extreme conditions at the edge of space.
Below you will find a curated collection of images released by Red Bull of the epic jump from space. Enjoy! For any additional information be sure to visit: http://www.redbullstratos.com/
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Felix Baumgartner of Austria and USAF Colonel (ret.) Joe Kittinger of the United States seen during a Press Conference at the Red Bull Stratos mission in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012.
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Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria prepares for his jump prior to the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012.
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Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria is lifted up to the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012.
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The stratospheric balloon seen during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012.
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The balloon lifts up during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012.
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Pilot Felix Baumgartner of Austria jumps out of the capsule during the final manned flight for Red Bull Stratos in Roswell, New Mexico, USA on October 14, 2012.
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