Today, October 9th, marks the day that Red Bull Stratos launches into space, but what exactly is it and why is everyone talking about it?
So what exactly is this Red Bull Stratos thing all about?
Well, the Red Bull Stratos mission is basically the most bad ass science experiment to every take place in space – or just before ya get to space. The man of the hour, Felix Baumgartner, will ascend to 120,000 feet in a stratospheric balloon. Once he reaches the limits of the earth’s atmosphere he will jump out where he will be rushing toward earth at supersonic speeds before parachuting (safely) to the ground.
As for the experiment itself, Felix along with a team of highly trained experts are attempting to transcend human limits that have existed for 50 years.
So why is everyone talking about?
Mainly because of the records. People are talking about it because the Red Bull Stratos mission will be the first time that someone will break the current world record for the highest jump which was set back in 1960 by Joseph Kittinger (Joe is one of the lead experts on this mission). The current record stands at 102,800 ft (31,333 meters) so Felix will hope to surpass this in this big balloon. If Felix is successful he will also be the first person to break the speed of sound while in free fall and he will also break the record for the longest amount of time in free fall.
However, breaking records isn’t what the Red Bull Stratos team initially set out to do. The aim of the mission is to record various bits of data, which could help future astronauts and fighter pilots.
So this Felix lad is jumping from space?
Well, he’s jumping from the edge of space. If we were to get technical he’s actually jumping from the Stratosphere 36 km above the earth. No human has every jumped from that height and lived to tell the tale so the world will be watching to see if Felix’s attempt is successful.
How long is it all going to take?
It will take roughly 3 hours for Felix to reach a height of 120,000ft and it will only take him about 15 to 20 minutes to return to earth. According to the calculations from the Red Bull Stratos team, it will take roughly 40 seconds for Felix to reach the speed of sound or Mach 1. It’s expected that Felix will be in free fall for roughly five minutes, which as we said would be a world record.
So what are the dangers?
Well, there will be little to no atmospheric pressure at 120,000ft so Felix has to be careful not to trip when exiting his capsule as he could end up spinning which could cause him to blackout. It’s unlikely that anything serious will happen to Felix as he’s a pro at extreme sports, but there’s still an element of danger to the mission.
You can find out absolutely everything you need to know about Felix and the Red Bull Stratos mission over on their website here.
Where can I watch the jump?
You can watch it here live on JOE, from 1.30pm today.
