Hasta La Gadget!

While Felix Baumgartner landed safely on the ground just a matter of hours ago, the internet is still resonating with the sound of tweets, status updates and YouTube clicks, all thanks to what was one of the most spectacular human endeavors in recent history. The mission was simple, to send a man up in a balloon higher than ever before, and have him safely jump to the ground. This kind of “simple” is usually anything but — if you just look past the well-manicured exterior. Which, as luck would have it is exactly what we did.

With the cheers of success still ringing in his ears, we got some quality time with Art Thompson, the technical project director, and Baumgartner’s earliest collaborator on the Stratos mission. We wanted to know a little bit more about what went on behind the scenes, and Thompson was more than happy to oblige. They’re understandably proud of what they just achieved.

Continue reading Art Thompson, Red Bull Stratos’ technical project director, talks circuit breakers, wind shear and biomedical data

Filed under: Misc, Alt

Art Thompson, Red Bull Stratos’ technical project director, talks circuit breakers, wind shear and biomedical data originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 16 Oct 2012 17:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Surely by now you’ve heard someone say “Man, with balls that big, I’m surprised Felix Baumgartner even fit into that capsule.” You can’t deny it, he’d need some serious balls jumping from the stratosphere is just as insane and frightening as it is awesome. More »

Total success. After many delays, Felix did it. He reached the highest altitude ever reached by any man in a balloon, more than 127,000 feet. He then jumped and fell faster than any man, breaking Mach 1 (it’s unofficial for now, they have to confirm it). More »

Felix Baumgartner is going to jump from the edge of space. If successful, he’s going to become the first man in history to go supersonic without any mechanical propulsion aid whatsoever. He’s now getting ready. More »

BASE jumping might just be about to enter the mainstream. What has typically been considered a fringe activity, reserved for thrill seekers and adrenaline junkies, could soon be firmly cemented in the public view. For the uninitiated, BASE jumping is like skydiving, without the plane. Participants throw themselves off bridges, antennae, buildings, cliffs, and well, whatever high object they can find. It’s not illegal, “in theory”, but as many of the chosen launch spots are public or private property — or pose a risk to public safety — gaining access to, or jumping from them, can mean stepping over the legal line.

This otherwise obstreperous activity has largely kept to itself, occasionally popping up in magazines, or YouTube videos, but — all going well — on Monday that changes. Serial boundary pusher (of wing suit across the English Channel fame) Felix Baumgartner is set to leap, in the most literal sense of the word, from relative obscurity into the history books. How? By jumping to earth from the edge of space, likely breaking the sound barrier as he does so. How does one go from humble Austrian beginnings to a capsule 120,000 feet (about 23 miles) above the Earth’s surface? Make a comparatively tiny leap past the break to find out.

Continue reading Leap of faith: Felix Baumgartner’s historic jump from the edge of space

Filed under: Science, Alt

Leap of faith: Felix Baumgartner’s historic jump from the edge of space originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Oct 2012 16:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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