Subscribe free to our newsletters via your
. Solar Energy News .




SPACE TRAVEL
Austrian freefaller inspires awe in watching millions
by Staff Writers
Washington (AFP) Oct 14, 2012


Felix Baumgartner leaps from his balloon capsule. The Austrian daredevil became the first man to break the sound barrier in a record-shattering freefall jump from the edge of space, organizers said. The 43-year-old leapt from a capsule more than 24 miles (39 kilometers) above the Earth, reaching a speed of 706 miles per hour (1,135 km/h) before opening his red and white parachute and floating down to the New Mexico desert. AFP PHOTO via Redbullcontentpool.com - Stefan Aufschnaiter.

The world looked on in fear and awe as Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner jumped from the edge of outer space on Sunday, breaking a slew of records and winning millions of instant fans.

The video feed -- broadcast on a 20-second delay intended to give news stations time to cut away in case tragedy struck -- was viewed by more than seven million people on YouTube alone.

The death-defying jump riveted audiences hungry for a genuinely extraordinary feat in an age when NASA is mothballing human spaceflight and many other supposed thrill-seekers simply perform elaborate stunts.

Reactions poured in on Facebook and Twitter from people around the globe who had followed every step of the drama-packed mission, their lingering cynicism quickly turning to disbelief bordering on reverence.

First Baumgartner ascended in a small capsule attached to a massive helium-filled balloon, rising for more than two hours to reach a dizzying altitude more than 24 miles (39 kilometers) above the Earth.

There was unexpected drama and minutes of uncertainty after it emerged that the heating mechanism on his visor wasn't working.

Maybe this would be just like all the other PR exercises, but No! he shifted forward to the edge of the capsule, the Earth but a distant blue haze below, and launched himself into freefall.

The biggest risk Baumgartner faced was spinning out of control, which could have exerted excessive G-force and made him lose consciousness. A controlled dive from the capsule was essential, putting him in a head-down position to increase speed.

Transfixed viewers around the world looked on in agony as the Austrian started tumbling chaotically for what seemed like an eternity before finally achieving the correct position.

"Who else saw Felix Baumgartner jump?? Damn what a legend!" Gregor Bates, watching in the British city of Bristol, wrote on Twitter.

Adam Polselli, in US city of San Francisco, tweeted "More than anything, I'm impressed by Felix Baumgartner's courage. May we all be that brave when we step into the unknown."

Austrians were particularly proud.

President Heinz Fischer posted on his Facebook page: "I warmly congratulate Felix Baumgartner on this great success, which was achieved with courage and perseverance and is finding worldwide attention."

Jesus Diaz, who covered the event live for technology website Gizmodo, wrote that he "teared up" watching the successful conclusion of the jump.

"He did it, people. He jumped from the edge of space, broke some records, and survived," Diaz wrote.

"Kudos to you, Felix. As you were falling faster than any man in history, you made our collective hearts stop, then swell."

Some drew parallels to Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, saying Baumgartner would inspire the next generation of space pioneers.

Andrew Kavanagh of Ireland suggested that future adventurers may have been paying attention: "My son has spent the past half hour doing Felix Baumgartner impersonations..."

Some had a less reverent take on the daredevil feat.

"Just watched a dude jump from near space. Humans are really dumb and really awesome," wrote Geoff G, in the southeastern US state of Louisiana, on Twitter.

All for a feat whose scientific significance was not clear, some argued.

"Felix Baumgartner has made a giant leap for a man but an infinitesimally small step for mankind," tweeted Peter Bradshaw, whose location was not specified.

Baumgartner broke at least three records: the highest freefall leap, the fastest speed ever achieved by a human and the first person to break the sound barrier of around 690 miles (1,110 kilometers) per hour in freefall.

He said before the attempt that "part of this entire experience will help make the next pressure suit safer for space tourists and aviators."

Former NASA Astronaut Leroy Chiao, speaking on the US news channel CNN after the dive, concurred, saying "the technologies that they have developed, pressure suit technologies, I think you are going to see these things incorporated into future pressure suits that are used in spacecraft."

.


Related Links
Space Tourism, Space Transport and Space Exploration News






Comment on this article via your Facebook, Yahoo, AOL, Hotmail login.

Share this article via these popular social media networks
del.icio.usdel.icio.us DiggDigg RedditReddit GoogleGoogle








SPACE TRAVEL
Austrian breaks sound barrier in record space jump
Los Angeles (AFP) Oct 14, 2012
Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner became the first man to break the sound barrier in a record-shattering, death-defying freefall jump Sunday from the edge of space. The 43-year-old leapt from a capsule more than 24 miles (39 kilometers) above the Earth, reaching a top speed of 833.9 miles per hour, or 1.24 times the speed of sound, according to organizers. The veteran skydiver was in ... read more


SPACE TRAVEL
Which Biofuels Hold the Most Promise for the Future

Palm Oil Massive Source of Carbon Dioxide

Super-microbes engineered to solve world environmental problems

Computational Model IDs Potential Pathways to Improve Plant Oil Production

SPACE TRAVEL
Worldwide patent for a Spanish stroke rehabilitation robot

Robot artist learns masters' brush strokes

Toyota unveils robot helping hand

Researchers Examine How Characteristics of Automated Voice Systems Affect Users' Experience

SPACE TRAVEL
DNV KEMA awarded framework agreement for German wind project developer SoWiTec

Sandia Labs benchmark helps wind industry measure success

Bigger wind turbines make greener electricity

EU wind power capacity reaches 100GW

SPACE TRAVEL
Volvo Cars suspends production at Swedish plant

Tycoon offers Chinese cars for Japanese amid row

China's September auto sales fall on Japan row

Japan's Toyota to recall 7.43 mn vehicles globally

SPACE TRAVEL
Sinopec, ENN drop $2.2 bn offer for China Gas

Iran develops plans for deliberate Gulf oil spill: report

Prestige oil disaster trial starts in Spain

Two Chinese kidnapped on Cameroon-C.Africa border

SPACE TRAVEL
Tepco admits Fukushima mistakes

Lithuanian voters reject atomic power plan

Lithuanian poll leaders pledge nuclear rethink

Swedish minister summons officials after nuke arrests

SPACE TRAVEL
South Korea doubles 2013 emissions reduction target

Ireland: Royalties on energy exports?

Researchers map carbon footprint of cities

Global Renewable Energy Investments Continue to Grow

SPACE TRAVEL
Research shows legume trees can fertilize and stabilize maize fields, generate higher yields

China to up reforestation

SciTechTalk: Amazon's 'razor blade' choice

Study finds nearly 50% of retail firewood infested with insects




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2014 - Space Media Network. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. Privacy Statement