September 25, 2012
Stratospheric Jump Set for October 8
Almost ready. (Photo: Red Bull Stratos)
The countdown for Felix Baumgartner’s leap from the stratosphere is on.
The Austrian jumper’s capsule (which was damaged in a September trial) is fixed, the Red Bull team has certified if for flight, and the jump is set for October 8. Expect delays, though, as weather will figure in the decision to launch the balloon-borne capsule.
When it does launch, here’s how things are supposed to go:
I wish that the media wasn’t so full of lazy journalists. This is not a “Space Leap”; Felix will be nowhere near the Kármán Line and so will not be in space.
Comment by JohnD — September 25, 2012 @ 1:18 pm
Well, you’re right. And while it wasn’t laziness exactly, I was very loose with the headline — mostly in the interest of identifying this to readers as a black-sky, much-higher-than-usual jump. Still, in the interest of accuracy, I’ve changed it to “Stratospheric Jump.”
Comment by Tony Reichhardt — September 25, 2012 @ 3:49 pm
This jump was insane. I can’t believe he was able to release his parachute and it opened without any issues. At that speed I would think he could spin out of control or the chute would get tangled or something catastrophic. It’s really unbelieveable it went off without a hitch!
Comment by Frank L. DeFazio — November 8, 2012 @ 9:46 pm