Felix Baumgartner jumped from the balloon at 96,640 feet. He reached mach 0.8 during free fall.
Felix Baumgartner plans to ascend to 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon and make a freefall jump rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground.
During a test jump from 96,640 feet (29.455 meters) in July, Felix Baumgartner landed safely after 3 minutes and 48 seconds of freefall leading up to a 10 minute and 36 second decent.
Successfully completing a supersonic freefall from the edge of space requires technologically advanced equipment.
Sage Cheshire Aerospace built the Red Bull Stratos capsule and continues to develop other vital systems on site.
A pressurized space suit engineered especially for this mission by David Clark Co. is one of the key pieces of technology that could serve future generations of space travelers.
Everything from a parachute with automatic safety systems, to a built-in gravity meter tasked with saving Felix's life was built on historical knowledge with the goal of preventing the what-if's inherent in a pioneering mission like this.
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