The Red Bull energy drink brand is continuing its sport line with an extremely bold project: it supports Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner, who is going to establish a record by falling back down to Earth from 120,000 (~23 miles) feet high. The Red Bull Stratos project was being prepared for three years and now it is the time to make the dream come real.
The previous free jump from miles (102,800 feet) above the Earth’s surface was made by Joe Kittinger, a former Command Pilot and career military officer, on August 16, 1960, and 50 year after this an even bolder project is going to be implemented. In 2010, Felix Baumgartner is going to break the record of his predecessor and spend 5 minutes and 35 seconds between the earth and the sky, lifted there by a helium-filled balloon. He will be the first person in the world to break the speed of sound by reaching Mach 1.0 speeds (~700MPH). With this project being carried out successfully, Baumgartner will also establish a new altitude record and be in the falling from the skies for the longest time ever.
The preparations are made by the Red Bull Stratos team which engages specialists including a technical project director, a medical director, safety operators and others. The developing of the suit should be carried out perfectly well, as is Felix opens his face shield from such a height, he’ll turn into a «human fizzy» — according to the physics laws, every ounce of liquid in his body will be immediately pulled into the atmosphere.
Now Baumgartner is practicing out of Beale Air Force Base in Sacramento, CA. Felix is going to land in North America. As for now, the date of the experiment is not set, as the group is trying to choose the maximum favourable weather conditions. All the information on the project can be find on its official website.
There are four records to be established:
1) Altitude record for manned ballon flight (expected minimum of 36,567 meters — the current one is 34,667 meters)
2) Altitude record for freefall (expected minimum of 36,567 meters — the current one is 31,333 meters)
3) Speed record for fastest freefall (Mach 1.2, current record Match 0.9)
4) Time record for freefall (5m 35s, current record 4m 36s).