Supersonic Skydive from the Edge of Space

The Red Bull Stratos, a mission from the edge of space, will attempt to transcend all freefall records made by any man. Supported by the world’s leading minds in engineering, pressure suit development, aerospace medicine, capsule creation and balloon fabrication, world-record BASE jump holder Felix Baumgartner will attempt to ascend to 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and make a freefall jump from the edge of space. His journey to earth is set to break records for the highest, fastest, and longest-duration skydive. Baumgartner’s team estimates he will reach speeds of up to Mach 1.2 – roughly 1,190 km/hr – and free-fall for five and a half minutes before opening a parachute.

If weather conditions permit on Sunday, 14^th October, Baumgartner will first have to run a gauntlet of potentially deadly risks. Should his pressurized suit tear, for starters, the lack of atmospheric pressure at extreme altitudes could cause Baumgartner’s blood to boil. And if his body goes into a so-called flat spin – rotating perhaps at hundreds of times a minute – he could suffer extreme eye and brain injury. What’s more, the dangers of any human being exceeding the speed of sound without the propulsion, or protection, of a vehicle are unknown. Catch this historic jump live at Redbull Stratos.