Go Felix! Mission to the edge of space – Red Bull Stratos

Felix Baumgartner – Extreme Sport Athlete Born in Salzburg, Austria in 1969, Felix began skydiving at the age of 16 and began performing skydiving exhibitions for Red Bull in 1988. He proceeded to BASE jumping in the 1990s when he reached the limits that traditional skydiving could offer.

Achievements 1.       World records Highest parachute jump from a building - the PETRONAS Towers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (1999). Lowest BASE jump ever, when he jumped 29 m (95 feet) from the hand of the Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro. 2.       First person Skydive across the English Channel using a specially made carbon fibre wing (2003). BASE jump from the completed Millau Viaduct, France (2004). Skydive onto, then BASE jump from, the Turning Torso building in Malmö, Sweden (2006). Jump from the 91st floor observation deck, then went to the 90th floor (about 390 m (1,280 ft)) of the then tallest completed building in the world, Taipei 101, Taipei, Taiwan (2007)

On Sunday, 14 October 2012, Felix Baumgartner leapt from 39.04 km (128,100 feet) above Earth. The Mission Ascend to 36.58 km (120,000 ft) in a stratospheric balloon and make a freefall jump toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting to the ground. The Technology Capsule Weighs 1315 kg (2900 lbs) and is made of fiberglass & epoxy. It has 4 components - pressure sphere, cage, shell, base & crush pads.  It is made to withstand temperatures as low as -56.67°C (-70°F) and designed to handle 8 Gs of impact pressure. Suit The suit is fully pressurized to withstand temperatures as high as 100°F (37.78°C) & as low as -90°F (-67.78°C).  It is modeled on suits worn by pilots of high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft but with modifications to include mirrors and added mobility.  The exterior of the suit is both fire retardant and an insulator against extreme cold.  The suit is ventilated with warm or cool air in the capsule via a vent hose. Chest pack Houses the monitoring, tracking, and communications systems.  Parachute The parachute weighs 27.22 kg (60 lbs) or three times as much as a normal parachute and is the first of its kind used for a supersonic-speed fall.  It includes a special drogue chute that could help stabilize Felix if he were to start spinning uncontrollably in the upper atmosphere.  It can be manually operated, but it will automatically engage if Felix experiences 3.5 Gs or more continuously for at least six seconds.

What could go wrong? His blood could boil. His lungs could overinflate. The vessels in his brain could burst. His eyes could hemorrhage.  He could break his neck while jumping from a mind-boggling altitude of 37.01 km (23 miles).  A head-over-feet spin can be life-threatening, as it forces blood into the jumper's extremities - at high pressures, this could cause unconsciousness, and even moderate pressures could damage the brain and eyes. Detailed information can be found at:  http://www.redbullstratos.com/