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Felix Baumgartner’s success in his death-defying stunt jumping from the edge of space has now been verified with preliminary statistics now released.
Although yet to be certified by independent authorities, it appears Baumgartner is now the first human to break the speed of sound in freefall without mechanical intervention in Red Bull’s Stratos mission.
Felix Baumgartner records:
Baumgartner explained the difficulties in achieving these records in freeall: “It felt like a flat spin – like a spin over all three axes. This is what we fear the most. I fought to get control, and that’s why we have the speed of sound record today”.
This wasn’t the only issue that jeopardised the records. “At a certain time it looked like a mission abort, because in our list of contingencies, if you can’t see anything you can’t leave the capsule; and frost was slowly building up on my visor.
“In that kind of situation when you get to 127,000 feet you’re already totally exhausted. You have to perform at 100 percent, and it is tough. I never anticipated it was going to be so tough.”
Reflecting on his achievement, Baumgartner said: “It’s still too much to fully comprehend. Besides the physical exhaustion and mental exhilaration, the huge response from people from around the world has been humbling.
“I am still taking it all in, and I truly appreciate all the good wishes and congratulations that have come my way. It’s been incredible”.
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