Red Bull Stratos Completes Final Practice Jump from 18 Miles Above Earth...
July 25, 2012, Felix Baumgartner completed the final milestone remaining before he attempts to achieve his dream of becoming the first person to break the speed of sound in freefall. According to preliminary data, his test jump from a 30 story tall helium balloon from an altitude of over 96,640 feet, seeing Felix execute a 3 minute, 48 second freefall jump reaching speeds of 536 mph.
Felix landed in a desert area of the U.S. state of New Mexico, just about 15 minutes by helicopter from his launch site at Roswell International Air Center. As the ecstatic team gathered in Mission Control to welcome his return, technical project director Art Thompson commented: “It’s hard not to get emotional about today. We are just so glad to have Felix back on the ground after a long week with significant weather challenges. The crew did a great job.”
The test launch was twice delayed due to thunderstorms, wind and rain. But the team of aerospace experts was never discouraged, well aware that even Space Shuttle launches sometimes faced several days of postponement. Felix's successful test is proof that patience pays off.
Today’s successful test, with a balloon over four times as large as the one that carried the pilot at the first test flight in March, delivered new insights for the progress of the project and also new research data for the benefit of aerospace research.
“It was a rough couple of days and an exhausting endeavor. I am now really excited. It has always been a dream of mine. Only one more step to go,” Baumgartner said after the successful landing.
Pending official data review and confirmation, the leap from over 96,640 feet takes Felix past Russia’s Yevgeny Andreyev (83,523 feet) to make him only the second man to have successfully completed a jump from such an altitude. His planned freefall from 120,000 feet would finally break the record of 102,800 feet set 52 years ago by the only man who has jumped from a higher altitude, Felix's mentor Joe Kittinger.
It is a proud day for the brand and for the entire organization. Significant media coverage is currently airing globally - in the USA with constant coverage nationally and locally on ABC News and with a breaking news wire release from the Associated Press.
Enjoy the photos below and be sure to share the success of the day with your networks from the images and videos on the website (www.redbullstratos.com), Facebook (www.facebook.com/redbull) and @RedBullStratos.
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