With the completion of a series of high-altitude test jumps over California, extreme sportsman Felix Baumgartner has rounded off the preparation phase of Red Bull Stratos as he now readies himself for the final test jump from 90,000 feet (27,432 meters) and the mission itself – a freefall from the edge of space – later this summer.
TAFT, California (United States) – “After 3 weeks of capsule tests, emergency procedures and high altitude test jumps in Taft, we’re done!”, posted Baumgartner on his Facebook page after a series of high-altitude skydives in the town of Taft, a two-hour drive north of Los Angeles. This latest round of tests saw the Austrian jump from a Skyvan transporter plane cruising at 30,000 feet (9,144 meters) wearing his full space suit. The purpose was to perfect the flying position the 43-year-old will adopt during the final jump when he leaps from 120,000 feet (36,576 meters) in an attempt to break the speed of sound in freefall. Baumgartner is expected to cover a kilometer in less than four seconds, flying faster than a bullet.
Baumgartner must remain stable in the air as he plummets head-first towards the ground in order to avoid getting into a potentially deadly spin. The jumps over California also gave the Red Bull Stratos team the chance to test the process of opening the parachute in combination with the large space suit at speeds of over 220km/h.
As the weather window for a balloon launch opens in July and remains open until September, the Red Bull Stratos team will now move its base to Roswell, New Mexico, in preparation for the final test jump with the attempt to break the record of 102,800 feet (31,333 meters) for the highest altitude freefall, set by Joe Kittinger in 1960, taking place shortly afterwards.
