TORONTO – Extreme athlete Felix Baumgartner landed safely on Earth after a 39-kilometre jump from high in the stratosphere that made him the world’s first supersonic skydiver.
The Red Bull Stratos team mission used cameras designed and developed by Jay Nemeth of FlightLine Films, according to their website. There were fifteen cameras used along with a pressurized electronics “keg” containing more than 125 electronic components and about two miles of wiring.
Take a look at how Baumgartner shattered the sound barrier and landed safely about nine minutes later, courtesy of the Red Bull Stratos video.
First, Baumgartner took off in a pressurized capsule carried by a 55-story ultra-thin helium balloon.
About to jump high above Earth, he flashed a thumbs-up sign for the more than 8 million people watching his “live-stream” on the Internet (which was actually under a 20-second delay). This is the biggest audience for a live-stream to date, according to The Guardian.
During the ensuing jump from more than three times the height of the average cruising altitude for jetliners, Baumgartner was expected to hit a speed of 690 mph.
There were moments when it appeared as though Baumgartner was spiraling out of control:
But he regained control and activated his parachute as he neared Earth and gently glided into the eastern New Mexico desert.
And then he celebrated, pumping his fists into the sky after completing the jump.
And you can watch the full video courtesy of YouTube user PivotSalvation here:
This attempt marked the end of a five-year road for Baumgartner, a record-setting high-altitude jumper. He already made two preparation jumps in the area, one in March from 24 km high and one in in July from 29 km high. It will also be the end of his extreme altitude jumping career; he has promised this will be his final jump.
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Of course, Baumgartner’s jump has already inspired some spinoff YouTube videos, like this Lego stop-motion take on Sunday’s event, which advertises the Model Maker Fair coming up at the end of October in Vienna:
With files from The Associated Press
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